A battle of struggling veterans is set for Rizin Fighting Federation 11, as Melvin Guillard will square off against Takanori Gomi on July 29.
Guillard replaces Andy Souwer, who was pulled from the card after entering into an exclusive contract with One Championship, according to Yahoo! Japan. Rizin 11 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and is headlined by a showdown between Kyoji Horiguchi and Hiromasa Ogikubo.
Guillard, 35, has fallen on hard times of late. “The Young Assassin” squared off with rising UFC middleweight prospect Israel Adesanya last July, losing via first-round TKO at Australian Fighting Championship 20. The former UFC and Bellator competitor has tasted victory just once in his last 10 MMA appearances.
The 39-year-old Gomi has experienced his own difficulties of late. “The Fireball Kid” is currently on a six-bout skid that includes his last five appearances in the UFC. He debuted with Rizin on Dec. 31, falling to Yusuke Yachi via first-round triangle choke.