Injuries Shuffle Decks at UFC 117, UFC 118

Top light heavyweight prospect Phil Davis will square off with Rodney Wallace in a preliminary matchup at UFC 117 “Silva vs. Sonnen” on Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. Davis replaces Stanislav Nedkov, who withdrew from the event with an injury.

Perfect in six professional appearances, Davis has not competed since he submitted Alexander Gustafsson with a first-round anaconda choke at UFC 112 in April. The 25-year-old Harrisburg, Pa., native was a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler at Penn State University, where he won a Div. I national championship in 2008. A Lloyd Irvin protégé, Davis made his UFC debut in February, when he defeated former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight titleholder Brian Stann by unanimous decision.

Winless in two trips inside the Octagon, Wallace dropped a unanimous decision to Jared Hamman in a memorable three-round scrap at UFC 111 in March. Eight of the 28-year-old Bamberg, S.C., native’s 11 matches have reached the judges. Victories against Finnish standout Marcus Vanttinen, Team Quest’s Aaron Stark and Strikeforce veterans Antwain Britt and Ovince St. Preux anchor Wallace’s resume.

Meanwhile, the surging Gerald Harris will lock horns with American Top Team’s Alessio Sakara in a middleweight duel at UFC 118 “Edgar vs. Penn 2” on Aug. 28 at the TD Garden in Boston. Harris replaces Jorge Rivera, who bowed out of the event with an injury.

Harris will carry a 10-fight winning streak into the match. The 30-year-old Oklahoman knocked out Renzo Gracie protégé Dave Branch with a third-round slam at UFC 116 on July 13, as he improved to 3-0 inside the Octagon. Harris, who has held titles within the Shark Fights and Freestyle Cage Fighting promotions, has delivered 14 of his 17 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. A decorated amateur wrestler, he was a three-time Div. I national qualifier at Cleveland State University.

Sakara has rattled off three consecutive wins since his TKO defeat to Chris Leben at UFC 82. The 28-year-old Italian needed just 2:01 to dispatch James Irvin at UFC on Versus 1 in March. Only one of Sakara’s last nine fights has gone the distance. He holds notable victories over one-time UFC middleweight title contender Thales Leites and Pride Fighting Championships veteran James Lee.