The UFC 208 card is now finalized with the addition of heavyweight newcomer Justin Willis, who steps up to face Marcin Tybura on less than a week’s notice. The UFC confirmed the news in a statement released today. Willis (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) replaces Luis Henrique, who was pulled from the card after the New York State Athletic Commission raised concerns over a previous eye surgery the fighter underwent.
Willis now has a chance to make a big impact, just a week after Marcel Fortuna shocked UFC fans with his stunning knockout of Anthony Hamilton in his own short notice debut. It’s clearly an opportunity Willis, an American Kickboxing Academy product, simply could not turn down. Willis was last seen competing in the WSOF, where he scored a TKO victory over Juliano Coutinho last June. Prior to that, he won a pair of fights under the Inoki Genome Federation banner in Japan. Willis has not lost since his pro debut back in 2012.
His opponent, Marcin Tybura (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), is coming off a stunning head kick knockout victory over Viktor Pesta. That knockout earned Tybura his first Performance of the Night bonus.
UFC 208 takes place in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclay Center this Saturday, February 11.
