Knee Injury Forces Jon Fitch to Withdraw from UFC on Fuel TV 4 Bout with Aaron Simpson

WrestlingObserver.com first reported the American Kickboxing Academy fighter’s withdrawal from the July 11 card, and multiple outlets have since confirmed the news. A replacement opponent for Simpson has yet to be named.

UFC on Fuel TV 4 takes place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., and is expected to be headlined by a middleweight tilt between Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman.

Long considered to be one of the top welterweights in the world, Fitch suffered a shocking 12-second knockout loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 141 in December, his first defeat since falling to Georges St. Pierre in a 170-pound title bout in 2008. The 34-year-old Indiana native owns notable victories against Thiago Alves, Mike Pierce, Paulo Thiago and Diego Sanchez during his 16-fight UFC tenure.

After nine Octagon appearances at 185 pounds, Simpson will be making his welterweight debut on July 11. The Power MMA representative had a three-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing, as he fell to Ronny Markes via split decision in February. “A-Train” had defeated Mario Miranda, Brad Tavares and Eric Schafer in his previous three bouts.