Shaun Al-Statti Middleweight submission specialist Thales Leites has agreed to step in and challenge Ed Herman on short notice at UFC 167.
UFC Tonight reported the booking on Wednesday.
Herman (21-9, 1 NC) was initially slated to fight Rafael Natal, however UFC officials pulled Natal to fill a vacant spot opposite Tim Kennedy at UFC Fight for the Troops 3.
Herman last fought in late-July, where he bounced back from a one-sided drubbing at the hands of Jacare Souza to eek out a split decision victory over Trevor Smith at UFC on FOX 8. The back and forth battle earned both Herman and Smith ‘Fight of the Night' honors.
He'll now meet Leites (21-4), a revitalized former UFC title challenger who gained a second chance inside the Octagon after steamrolling to a 6-1 record in regional promotions. In August, Leites dominated Tom Watson to seize his first UFC win since 2008.
UFC 167 takes place November 16, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. An updated fight card can be seen below.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
Chael Sonnen vs. Rashad Evans
Alistair Overeem vs. Frank Mir
Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler
Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley
Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham
Brian Ebersole vs. Rick Story
Ed Herman vs. Thales Leites
Erik Perez vs. Edwin Figueroa
Ali Bagautinov vs. Tim Elliott
Sergio Pettis vs. Vaughan Lee
