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UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz (also known as UFC Fight Night 30) is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held on October 26, 2013 at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom.


Official fight card

Main Card (Fox Sports 2)

Middleweight Lyoto Machida vs Mark Muñoz
Lightweight Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard
Light Heavyweight Jimi Manuwa vs. Ryan Jimmo
Lightweight Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck
Middleweight Alessio Sakara vs. Nicholas Musoke
Flyweight Phil Harris vs. John Lineker

Preliminary card (Online Prelims)

Lightweight Al Iaquinta vs. Piotr Hallman
Middleweight Luke Barnatt vs. Andrew Craig
Women's bantamweight Rosi Sexton vs. Jessica Andrade
Featherweight Andy Ogle vs. Cole Miller
Featherweight Jimy Hettes vs. Robert Whiteford
Middleweight Brad Scott vs. Michael Kuiper


Background

The event will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2.

The event was expected to be headlined by a middleweight bout between top contenders Michael Bisping and Mark Muñoz. However, on September 27, it was announced that Bisping had sustained an eye injury and was replaced by Lyoto Machida.

Tom Watson was expected to face Alessio Sakara at this event. However, Watson had to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Magnus Cedenblad. Subsequently in early October, Cedenblad was forced out of the Sakara bout with an injury and replaced by newcomer Nicholas Musoke.

Paul Taylor was expected to face Anthony Njokuani at this event. However, Taylor was forced to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Al Iaquinta. On September 24, Njokuani also pulled out of the event with an injury. Iaquinta will now face Piotr Hallmann.

Mike Wilkinson was expected to face Jimy Hettes at the event. However, Wilkinson pulled out of the bout in the week leading up the bout and was replaced by newcomer Robert Whiteford.


Sep 26 - Updated fight card & background
Sep 28 - Updated fight card & background
Oct 15 - Updated fight card & background
Oct 21 - Updated fight card & background

Sep 26 - Updated fight card & background

Sep 28 - Updated fight card & background

.............


Bisping Injury Forces New Main Event

UFC Manchester suffers a shakeup to their main event.

On October 26th, Manchester's own Michael “The Count” Bisping was set to return to British soil to battle Mark Munoz in the middleweight main event of UFC Manchester 2013.

But Bisping, England's biggest MMA star, has now been injured and will be unable to compete in the event. Munoz' new opponent is former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Brazilian Machida, who recently announced his move to 185 pounds, had been slated to headline Fight for the Troops on November 6th against Tim Kennedy.

"Words cannot describe how sad I am having to withdraw from my fight," tweeted Bisping in a statement on Friday night. "I apologise to the UFC, to Munoz and to everyone who bought tickets."

"We're going to get him the best treatment possible," UFC president Dana White said of Bisping in an interview with ESPN (read more).

A new opponent for Kennedy will be announced in coming days on UFC.com.

Source: http://ufc.com/news/ufc-manchester-inju ... machida-in

Oct 15 - Updated fight card & background

Oct 21 - Updated fight card & background

So many changes so far. Thanks for the updates and I'll be waiting to snatch this one this weekend. And seed back of course!

big <3