Paul Felder (12-3) will no longer be competing at UFC 208, but he will still be in action next month.
After rumors ran rampant of Gilbert Burns’ injury, the Brazilian fighter finally made the confirmation to MMAFighting.com. As a result, Felder has been moved to the UFC Fight Night card in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Feb. 19. His opponent will be Alex Ricci (10-4).
“The Irish Dragon” is coming off a TKO loss at the hands of Francisco Trinaldo. It was a doctor’s stoppage due to a sizable cut above Felder’s right eye. He’ll look to get back in the win column and avoid his fourth loss in six fights.
Ricci is vying for his first win under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotion. He made his UFC debut back in August against Jeremy Kennedy. Ricci lost the fight by unanimous decision.
The UFC Fight Night card in Halifax recently received a major shakeup. A heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Derrick Lewis was moved from the UFC 208 card to this event. The original main event between Junior dos Santos and Stefan Struve was pulled when Struve suffered a torn labrum and no opponents could be found for “Cigano.”
For the first time in his career, former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks will compete as a middleweight. Welcoming him to the division will be former Bellator title holder Hector Lombard. Hendricks fell short in a controversial unanimous decision loss to Neil Magny. As for Lombard, he was slept by Dan Henderson in the second round.
Also in action will be the inaugural UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza taking on Randa Markos. After losing her title in a one-sided affair, “Cookie Monster” earned a unanimous decision victory over Juliana Lima. Markos has gone 2-3 in her last five outings. A loss could mean the end of her UFC run.
