A training injury to
Tarec Saffiedine has given way to an intriguing Top 10 welterweight fight.
Saffiedine, who was slated to meet
Jake Ellenberger at
UFC 172, had to withdraw from the bout. As a result, Ellenberger will now meet "Ruthless"
Robbie Lawler at
UFC 173 in Las Vegas. MMAFighting.com confirmed Friday's initial report by MMAJunkie.com.
Lawler (21-10, 1 NC) will look to get back into the win column after coming up a hair short in his thrilling bout with
Johny Hendricks to fill the vacant welterweight title at UFC 173. The resurgent American Top Team fighter won three straight fights leading up to the Hendricks fight.
Ellenberger (29-7), meanwhile, has been eager to remove the stench of his loss to
Rory MacDonald last summer at UFC on FOX 8 in Seattle. Ellenberger has been victorious in eight of his past 10 fights.
While the UFC took some heat after announcing a main event of bantamweight champion
Renan Barao vs. T.J. Dillashaw for the May 24 event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the lineup as a whole looks solid: In addition to Barao-Dillashaw and Lawler-Ellenberger, matches already announced include
Junior dos Santos' return fight against
Stipe Miocic, and what promises to be an action-packed affair between
Takeya Mizugaki and
Francisco Rivera.
Saffiedine's exact injury has not been revealed. The former Strikeforce champ has only fought once in the past 15 months.
