[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWo3RGJet7Y&w=560&h=315]
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. A
Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter is getting a rare
opportunity to be double booked at the end of this year.
MMA Fighting first reported this story on Thursday, announcing
that Gerald
Meerschaert has been forced to pull out of his match with
Ed
Herman (25-14, 1 NC). Meerschaert will be replaced by John Allan
Arte (13-5, 1 NC), and the Brazilian finds himself in a unique
situation. In addition to his light heavyweight battle with Herman
at the
UFC Fight Night card on Sept. 12, he has also signed on to a
matchup with Roman
Dolidze (7-0) at
UFC 255. The Sept. 12 show will be held in the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas, while UFC 255 will take place at an undetermined location on
Nov. 21. Arte confirmed his bout
with Dolidze on his Instagram, while Herman confirmed the
opponent change on Wednesday as well.
The Brazilian last set foot in the cage in July 2019, where he won
a decision over Mike
Rodriguez but failed a post-fight drug test to have the result
overturned to a no contest. Arte accepted a one-year suspension
after testing positive for a metabolite, which is an estrogen
blocker typically used to treat breast cancer. “The Hunter” first
appeared on the Brazilian edition of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, and
Vinicius
Moreira Castro tapped him in the second round. A victory over
Alexandre
Silva at a Future FC event earned him a spot on the roster,
where he faced Rodriguez. Arte has stopped his opponent in 12 of
his 13 career wins, with eight first-round finish victories to his
credit.
Herman has seen a revolving door of opponents as of late, with two
bouts against Da Un Jung
scrapped due to the coronavirus and then a withdrawal from Jung.
The middleweight was then booked against Meerschaert in August. On
fight week, Meerschaert tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced
out of his match. The fighters re-booked for the Sept. 12 show, but
Meerschaert’s withdrawal forced yet another change of opponent.
Throughout his UFC career that spans back to 2006 beginning in the
third season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Herman has racked up wins
over names including Rafael
Natal, Tim Boetsch
and Patrick
Cummins over the years. When he signed to the UFC in 2006, his
opponent Arte was still six years away from making his professional
debut.
Arte’s second foe Dolidze is undefeated as a professional, with all
seven of the Georgian’s wins coming by stoppage. Starting his
career with three first-round submissions, Dolidze has since
rattled off four wins due to strikes. His promotional debut came in
July against Khadis
Ibragimov, and after a tentative start to the contest, Dolidze
smashed his opponent with a high knee to keep his perfect record
intact.
The Sept. 12 Fight Night will be taking place at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas, where it will be headlined by a light heavyweight rumble
between Thiago
Santos and Glover
Teixeira. In addition, Roxanne
Modafferi and Andrea Lee
will rematch in the flyweight division.
UFC 255 will go down on Nov. 21 at an unannounced venue likely
between the UFC Apex or Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. That event
will be capped by a pair of flyweight championship affairs, as
Deiveson
Figueiredo defends his throne against Cody
Garbrandt, while Valentina
Shevchenko looks to keep a firm grasp on her belt against
Jennifer
Maia.
