Abel Trujillo Faces Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night Card in Maine

UFC officials announced the pairing Friday following the news that Michael Johnson had been forced out of his bout at UFC on Fox 12 with Josh Thomson and Bobby Green was subsequently named the replacement.

The fight will be part of the Aug. 16 event set to take place in Bangor, Maine. The card is topped by 205 pounders Ryan Bader versus Ovince St. Preux and a flyweight showdown pitting Jussier da Silva against Zach Makovsky.

Since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 160, Blackzilian team member Trujillo has seemed like an entirely different fighter. Following a no-contest against Roger Bowling, “Killa” made good on the rematch by dispelling of his opponent by TKO. He parlayed this success with an emphatic win against Jamie Varner that claimed the now-defunct “Knockout of the Night” bonus.

Pearson will enter the Octagon coming off one of the most controversial judging decisions in UFC history. The Alliance MMA product clearly beat Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night “Henderson vs. Khabilov,” but the judges saw something entirely different, giving “The Dream” the benefit of the doubt.

The last two bouts for “The Real Deal” have been the most controversial of his career. Prior to the Sanchez fight, Pearson was involved in a no contest with Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night “Machida vs. Munoz.”