Manny Gamburyan Forced Out of UFC 157; Chad Mendes Awaits New Opponent

Manny Gamburyan

Manny Gamburyan had been beating the drum for another fight in the Octagon for quite some time, and he finally had one – a big one – nailed down with a scheduled bout against Chad Mendes at UFC 157.

Unfortunately, the fight he has been waiting for will have to wait a little bit longer, as MMAWeekly.com sources on Friday said Gamburyan has been forced out of the bout with a possible broken thumb.

Gamburyan rebounded late last year from a three-fight losing streak by defeating Michihiro Omigawa at UFC on Fox 4. He had been pining for a big fight ever since, and landed it with Mendes.

Mendes’ only loss has come to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and is still considered one of the top featherweights in the world. He is currently ranked No. 3 in the MMAWeekly.com World MMA Featherweight Rankings.

Mendes has put together back-to-back victories since losing to Aldo, and was looking to Gamburyan, a well-respected fighter, to help propel him back towards a title shot.

Gamburyan will now have to take a step back to recover, while Mendes will continue training, hoping to fight a replacement on the UFC 157 fight card headlined by the first-ever women’s bout in the Octagon. UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey puts her belt on the line against Liz Carmouche in the main event on Feb. 23 in Anaheim, Calif.

Be sure to Like MMAWeekly.com on Facebook and Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter.