With Tim Means out, this month’s UFC Fight Night 83 headliner could feature “Cowboy” vs. “Cowboy.”
Means (25-7-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC) was slated to fight fellow welterweight Donald Cerrone (28-7 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the Feb. 21 headliner before a potential USADA drug-testing violation forced “Dirty” out.
Now, Cerrone could fight replacement Alex Oliveira (14-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), according to a report from Combate. UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement, and when reached by MMAjunkie, a spokesperson said, “Any reports on Cerrone’s new opponent are premature.”
UFC Fight Night 83 takes place Feb. 21 at Pittsburgh’s CONSOL Energy Center. The card airs on FOX Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Cerrone moves up to welterweight after falling short to lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos via 66-second TKO in December. It snapped the WEC vet’s eight-fight winning streak.
Oliveira, a 27-year-old Brazilian, has won three straight fights since a UFC-debut loss to Gilbert Burns on short notice. Most recently, he dropped from welterweight to lightweight and scored a “Performance of the Night” bonus after knocking out Piotr Hallmann in November.
If the fight is booked, the latest UFC Fight Night 83 card includes:
For more on UFC Fight Night 83, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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