Ed Herman and
Wilson Gouveia have agreed to face off in a middleweight bout at
UFC 102 on Aug. 29 in Portland, Ore., according to sources close to the negotiations.
If signed, Herman will replace
James Irvin, who withdrew from the bout due to recurring knee injury sustained in training, as first reported by Sports 1140 KHTK host Carmichael Dave.
Irvin’s manager,
Mike Roberts, confirmed the injury to Sherdog.com on Wednesday. Roberts said the 30-year-old fighter will undergo a second surgery for his right knee that could shelve Irvin anywhere from six to nine months, according to early estimates.
Herman (15-7), a member of
Matt Lindland’s Team Quest squad, earned a unanimous decision against
David Loiseau at UFC 97 last April in Montreal. Herman was the runner-up on season three of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
American Top Team’s Gouveia (12-6) will look to rebound from a third-round technical knockout loss to
Nate Marquardt at UFC 95 last January in London.
Jeff Sherwood contributed to this report.