Edmen Shahbazyan vs. A.J. Dobson Slated for UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23

UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23 has undergone a change due to recent fight cancellations.

Edmen Shahbazyan (12-4), who was initially scheduled to face Dusko Todorovic (12-4) on the card, will now take on A. J. Dobson in a middleweight clash at the event. The news was first announced by Dobson’s management on social media.

The matchup seems to have been put together following a last-minute cancellation of Dobson’s UFC 298 meeting with Tresean Gore this weekend after the “The Ultimate Fighter” finalist was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.

Shahbazyan, once a promising prospect, has gone 1-4 in his last five promotional outings and will enter the Octagon on the heels of a Round 3 technical knockout loss at the hands of Anthony Hernandez in May of last year.

Meanwhile, Dobson will enter the Octagon on the heels of his first UFC victory, a unanimous decision over Tafon Nchukwi this past August. That triumph saw him bounce back from a two-fight skid to begin his tenure in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

UFC on ESPN 53 will be headlined by a flyweight clash between former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and Amanda Ribas.