Tom Lawlor out at UFC Fight Night 46, promotion seeking replacement foe for Ilir Latifi

Injury has forced fan-favorite middleweight Tom Lawlor out of UFC Fight Night 46, and UFC officials are now seeking a replacement opponent for Ilir Latifi.

MMAjunkie today learned of the change from a source close to the promotion who requested to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to publicly address such details.

Featuring a featherweight contest between Irishman Conor McGregor and Brazilian slugger Diego Brandao, UFC Fight Nigtht 46 takes place July 19 at The O2 in Dublin. The event is expected to air in the U.S. on UFC Fight Pass.

Latifi (8-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) made his UFC debut as a light heavyweight, filling in on short notice to face Gegard Mousasi in a losing effort. He was given a second chance in the promotion and earned an emotional submission win over Cyrille Diabate in March. He was expected to return to action for a fight against the always-entertaining “Filthy” Lawlor (9-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC), who hasn’t fought since an April 2013 win over Michael Kuiper. A timetable for his return wasn’t immediately established.

The latest UFC Fight Night 46 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 3 p.m. ET)

• Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao
• Zak Cummings vs. Gunnar Nelson
• Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
• Naoyuki Kotani vs. Norman Parke

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, noon ET)

• Ilir Latifi vs. TBA
• Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery
• Mike King vs. Cathal Pendred
• Trevor Smith vs. Tor Troeng
• Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov
• Patrick Holohan vs. Josh Sampo

For more on UFC Fight Night 46, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Tom Lawlor)