Injuries suffered by Englishmen John Hathaway and Oli Thompson have altered the card of UFC 138, the promotion’s Nov. 5 event at LG Arena in Birmingham, England.
Hathaway was also scratched from the card with an unknown ailment. His opponent, American Matt Brown, will now get to fight on home soil, as “The Immortal” has verbally agreed to fight Seth Baczynski (Pictured) at UFC 139, Nov. 19 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Brown survived a three-fight losing skid in 2010 and got back on track by outpointing John Howard in June. The Ohioan will attempt to halt the momentum of “Polish Pistola” Baczynski, who has finished three straight opponents and had a strong showing in his Sept. 17 Octagon return, submitting “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 contestant Clay Harvison.
Unbeaten through seven professional bouts, with six first-round submissions to his credit, 25-year-old Octagon newcomer De Fries is 3-0 on the year and most recently submitted Stav Economou in July. Broughton, 28, is 1-1 in his brief UFC tenure and looks to rebound from a Sept. 24 decision loss against another undefeated heavyweight, Travis Browne.