The cancellation of a bantamweight bout between Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Matt Hobar has reduced this weekend’s UFC Fight Night 75: Barnett vs. Nelson fight card to 10 bouts.
Late Tuesday, UFC officials announced that training injuries suffered by both fighters forced the bout’s cancellation. With very little time left to find a replacement, the event will continue will a reduced field of 10 bouts.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 75 VIDEO > UFC Fight Night 75: Josh Barnett vs. Roy Nelson Video Preview
Though he rose to prominence fighting for Shooto and K-1 in Japan, Yamamoto’s (18-6, 2 NC) UFC tenure has been disappointing. Riddled with injuries following his 2011 Octagon debut, Yamamoto has since fought a mere four times, losing three and having the fourth ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke.
Hobar (9-3) entered the Octagon as a Legacy FC bantamweight champion in May of last year, but success has eluded him, as well. Of his three UFC bouts, two losses sandwich a unanimous decision victory in his second bout, so he had been looking forward to the fight with Yamamoto as a chance to get his career back on track.
UFC Fight Night 75 is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Josh Barnett, who has a storied career in Japan, and The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner Roy Nelson. It takes place on Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, but due to the time difference airs live on Saturday, Sept. 26, in the United States.
The reduced fight card means that there will be no bouts on UFC Fight Pass. There will be four preliminary bouts on FOX Sports 2, with a six-bout main card on FOX Sports 1.
