Yahoo Sports Jorge Masvidal Steps in for Thiago Alves in UFC Seoul
Jorge Masvidal has agreed to face Benson Henderson in the UFC Fight Night 79 main event.
Henderson was briefly left without an opponent when his original foe, Thiago Alves, had to drop out of the fight due to a rib injury. Masvidal had been slated to face Don Hyun Kim in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 28, but UFC officials on Saturday night announced he would instead step in to fight Henderson.
HOT TOPIC > UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm Results and Fight Analytics
It is unclear if Kim will remain on the fight card, but he was removed from the UFC.com event page on Saturday night.
This was the second big hit the UFC Fight Night 79 card took this week, as a fight between Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Anthony Hamilton was nixed after Cro Cop dropped out due to injury and retired.
A former lightweight champion, Henderson (22-5) made his UFC welterweight debut earlier this year by submitting fast-rising 170-pounder Brandon Thatch on his home turf in Colorado. Now, Henderson, whose mother is Korean American, gets to headline a card in South Korea.
Masvidal (29-9) had been plying his trade a lightweight for quite some time as well, but recently made his successful return to welterweight by knocking out Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira in July.
UFC Fight Night 79 is the promotion's first event in South Korea.
