Marcus LeVesseur replaces Aaron Riley, meets Cody McKenzie at UFC on FUEL TV 3
Newcomer Marcus LeVesseur (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has replaced Aaron Riley (30-13-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) and now meets fellow lightweight Cody McKenzie (12-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at next month's UFC on FUEL TV 3 event.
Mickey Dubberly of KO Dynasty today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) that LeVesseur has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and taken the open slot.
McKenzie initially tweeted news of the change.
The reason for Riley's scratch from the card wasn't immediately known.
UFC on FUEL TV 3 takes play May 15 at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. The event's main card airs live on FUEL TV, and Facebook is expected to stream the preliminary card, which includes McKenzie vs. LeVesseur.
McKenzie, 24, likely finds himself in a must-win situation. Despite being a fan-favorite after his stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 12," McKenzie is currently is stuck in a two-fight skid following submission losses to Yves Edwards and Vagner Rocha. Prior to the defeats, he opened his pro career with a 12-0 mark that included 10 consecutive guillotine-choke submissions.
LeVesseur, 29, enters the UFC with nine years of pro-MMA experience. The four-time NCAA Division III national wrestling champion and amateur-wrestling standout is a veteran of the Minnesota fight circuit, where he's posted 10 knockouts and seven submissions in 21 career wins. He's currently on a 10-2 run that included wins over notables such as Eric Marriott, Brian Geraghty and Dane Sayers.
The latest UFC on FUEL TV 3 card includes:
MAIN CARD (FUEL TV)
Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung
Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah
Donald Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens
Jeff Hougland vs. Yves Jabouin
Fabio Maldonado vs. Igor Pokrajac
Tom Lawlor vs. Jason MacDonald
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)*
Marcus LeVesseur vs. Cody McKenzie
Brad Tavares vs. Dongi Yang
T.J. Grant vs. Carlo Prater
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Kamal Shalorus
Jeff Curran vs. Johnny Eduardo
Azamat Gashimov vs. Alex Soto
* - Not officially announced
