[sigallery id=”6FGoAUjGgSxbWfaWVR9LdL” title=”Ryan LaFlare” type=”sigallery”]
An injury has knocked Ryan LaFlare from his scheduled UFC on FOX 20 bout with Alexander Yakovlev. Stepping in for LaFlare is red-hot Kamaru Usman.
Usman (7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) announced the change while working the commentary booth at Titan FC 39. A UFC official confirmed the LaFlare injury to MMAjunkie.
The event takes place July 23 at United Center in Chicago. The bulk of the lineup, including the main card, is expected to air on FOX following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
LaFlare (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) recently rebounded from a decision loss to Demian Maia – his first career defeat – with a decision victory over Mike Pierce. Prior to the defeat, he won four fights in the UFC octagon.
Yakovlev (23-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is a former M-1 fighter who lost his first two UFC fights but has since rebounded with a decision win over Gray Maynard and a knockout victory over George Sullivan.
Usman was forced out of a planned UFC 198 bout with Sergio Moraes after suffering an injury. He is riding a six-fight winning streak, including five stoppage victories.
The latest UFC on FOX 20 card includes:
- Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko
- Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira
- Edson Barboza vs. Gilbert Melendez
- James Moontasri vs. Alex Oliveira
- George Sullivan vs. Hector Urbina
- Kamaru Usman vs. Alexander Yakovlev
- Luis Henrique vs. Dmitry Smolyakov
- Kailin Curran vs. Felice Herrig
- Darren Elkins vs. Godofredo Pepey
- Tony Martin vs. Michel Prazeres
- Frankie Saenz vs. Eddie Wineland
- Bojan Mihajlovic vs. Francis Ngannou
For more on UFC on FOX 20, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
