Credit:Joao Baptista/Sherdog.com
An elbow injury has forced Isi
Fitikefu out of his Octagon debut at
UFC on ESPN 20.
As a result, Markus
Perez will step in and face Dalcha
Lungiambula on Jan. 20 in Abu Dhabi. Multiple outlets confirmed
the new middleweight booking following an initial report from
Ag Fight. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place at the Flash Forum and is
headlined by a welterweight duel between Neil Magny
and Michael
Chiesa.
The 30-year-old Perez has lost three of his last four Octagon
appearances and is coming off a first-round knockout loss against
Dricus Du
Plessis at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct. 10. “Maluko” is 2-4 in
the UFC and 12-4 as a professional overall, with nine of his
triumphs coming inside the distance.
After winning his promotional debut against Dequan
Townsend, Lungiambula had a six-fight pro winning streak halted
in a third-round KO loss to Magomed
Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night 163 on Nov. 9. A former Extreme
Fighting Championship heavyweight title holder, Lungiambula will be
making his first middleweight foray against Perez.