UFC 195 gets change-up: Russell Doane out, Joe Soto in vs. Michinori Tanaka

Joe Soto

Just a few days after announcing a bantamweight fight between Russell Doane and Michinori Tanaka for UFC 195, there has been a switcheroo.

Doane (14-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is out of the January fight against Tanaka (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in favor of onetime title challenger and former Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto (15-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC). The update was made to the official fight card at UFC.com.

UFC 195 takes place Jan. 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. The event is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champ Robbie Lawler and former interim titleholder Carlos Condit.

Soto will be seeking his first UFC victory. He signed with the UFC to fight Anthony Birchak at UFC 177 in August 2014. But when former bantamweight champ Renan Barao had to be hospitalized during his weight cut for a title rematch with T.J. Dillashaw, Soto stepped up from the prelims to fight Dillashaw for the belt on a day’s notice. A valiant effort was all for naught when the champ stopped him with a fifth-round knockout. Soto returned in June, but was knocked out by Birchak at UFC Fight Night 68 in New Orleans. Before signing with the UFC, he had a six-fight winning streak that included winning the Tachi Palace Fights bantamweight belt.

After a perfect 10-0 start to his career, including a win over Roland Delorme in his promotional debut at UFC 174 in June 2014, Tanaka dropped a split decision in September 2014 to Kyung Ho Kang in Japan. Although it was the first loss of his career, he was awarded a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus for his effort – but that bonus was rescinded when he tested positive for the banned substances ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in his post-fight drug test. After a nine-month suspension, he now is ready to return.

Doane was looking to get back on track after a two-fight skid. Most recently, he dropped a unanimous decision to Jerrod Sanders at the TUF 21 Finale in July. Before that, he lost a decision to Iuri Alcantara at UFC Fight Night 51. Before the skid, he was on a three-fight winning streak, including his first two UFC fights. No reason was given for his removal from the card.

The latest UFC 195 card now includes:

• Champ Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit – for welterweight title
• Andrei Arlovski vs. Stipe Miocic
• Drew Dober vs. Erik Koch
• Lorenz Larkin vs. Albert Tumenov
• Joseph Duffy vs. Dustin Poirier
• Masanori Kanehara vs. Michael McDonald
• Nina Ansaroff vs. Justine Kish
• Edgar Garcia vs. Sheldon Westcott
• Diego Brandao vs. Brian Ortega
• Stephen Thompson vs. TBA
• Joe Soto vs. Michinori Tanaka

For more on UFC 195, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.