UFC Fight Night 177 Update: Jalin Turner Steps in for Frank Camacho; 1 Extra Fight Booked

My UFC career just keeps getting more interesting every fight lol

— Brok Weaver UFC (@BWeaverufc) September 10, 2020

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The upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship card this weekend has experienced a few sudden changes to its lineup.

On Wednesday night, Brok Weaver (15-5) posted on Twitter that his opponent has changed and that he will no longer be meeting Frank Camacho. BJPenn.com reported on Thursday morning that in Camacho’s stead – who is withdrawing due to a positive COVID-19 test, per MMA Fighting – will be Jalin Turner (9-5), who saw a matchup fall through on fight day last week when Thiago Moises tested positive for COVID-19. The two will be squaring off at a 165-pound catchweight at UFC Fight Night 177, which takes place on Sept. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Weaver is looking to bounce back from his first defeat in nearly four years when he takes on Turner. In May, Weaver faced Roosevelt Roberts and was tapped out with a rear-naked choke in the second frame. The setback was one more bump on an unusual run in his last several bouts. In two of his last three wins, Weaver has gotten his hand raised thanks to a disqualification. In the first against James Freeman in the Island Fights promotion, Weaver had an arm-triangle choke locked up and Freeman’s corner leapt into the cage to intervene. In his second, which was his first victory inside the Octagon, Rodrigo Vargas illegally kneed him in the head to force the stoppage.

Turner will not be receiving a long layoff after his recent bout cancellation at UFC Fight Night 176, and the California native will be trying to keep his 100 percent finish streak intact. Alternating wins and losses since making his debut after a contract-winning performance on Dana White's Contender Series, Turner drew the unenviable opponent of Vicente Luque in his UFC debut. That knockout loss to Luque, along with a decision defeat to fellow UFC Fight Night 177 competitor Matt Frevola, are mixed in among two knockout victories over a pair of Aussies in Callan Potter and Joshua Culibao. In the last, Turner became the first man to defeat the surging Culibao, doing so in February.

In addition to this replacement opponent, a new fight has been added to the card. At heavyweight, Alexander Romanov (11-0) will be re-booked after his own match was scrapped the day of UFC Fight Night 176 the previous week. His UFC debut will be against another debutant, in the form of ex-Rizin Fighting Federation star Roque Martinez (15-5-2). The promotion placed the heavyweight bout on its event page on UFCStats.

Romanov was scheduled to face Marcos Rogerio de Lima one week prior, but the Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 so the match was scrapped hours before it was set to go down. The Moldovan nicknamed “King Kong” is riding a perfect record with a 100 percent stoppage rate, with nine finishes in the opening frame.

Martinez will be making his first walk to the Octagon on the heels of a pair of knockouts in Rizin and Deep. His most recent performance a soccer kick knockout of Hideki Sekine in February, at the time Martinez scored the fifth triumph via soccer kicks in Rizin history. Each of the U.S. Territory of Guam resident’s last five victories have come within two rounds.

UFC Fight Night 177 goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 12, and it will be headlined by a strawweight contest between Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill. Drawing the co-main assignment is a lightweight battle between the upset-minded Khama Worthy and the unbeaten Ottman Azaitar.