Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jose
Johnson will step in on short notice to face Da’Mon
Blackshear at
UFC on ESPN 51 this Saturday.
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Johnson is a replacement for Brady
Hiestand, who withdrew from the card due to a “medical issue.”
The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new bantamweight
pairing on Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 51 takes place at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight duel pitting Vicente
Luque against Rafael dos
Anjos.
Johnson enters the matchup on a three-fight winning streak. He last
appeared at the Contender Series in August 2022, when he earned a
unanimous decision triumph over Jack
Cartwright. The 28-year-old Flint, Michigan, native owns a 15-7
career mark with appearances in Fury Fighting Championship and
Legacy Fighting Championship to his credit.
A former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder, Blackshear
is 1-1-1 since making is Octagon debut in August 2022. Most
recently, “Da Monster” scored a second-round TKO victory against
Luan
Lacerda at UFC on ESPN 46 on June 3. The Jackson-Wink MMA
export is 13-5-1 over the course of a pro tenure that began in
2014.