Andre
Fialho will step in on short notice and face Michel
Pereira at
UFC 270.
The bout was originally slated for UFC on ESPN 32, but
MMAFighting.com has reported that one of Pereira’s trainers
tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the postponement of the
fight for one week.
Fialho is a replacement for Muslim
Salikhov, who withdrew from the welterweight contest due to
illness. ESPN
was first to report the new bout. UFC 270 takes place at the Honda
Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 22 and is headlined by a
heavyweight unification title clash between Francis
Ngannou and Ciryl
Gane.
Anchored at Sanford MMA, Fialho has compiled a 14-3 record while
competing for organizations such as Bellator, Professional Fighters
League, Legacy Fighting Alliance and UAE Warriors. He enters his
Octagon debut on a four-bout winning streak in which he has
finished all of his victories by KO or TKO — including UFC veteran
James
Vick at an XMMA event last January.
Pereira is currently on a three-fight winning streak within the Las
Vegas-based promotion, a run that includes a submission win over
Zelim
Imadaev and decisions against Kalinn
Williams and Niko
Price.