Knee Injury Forces Hallman Out of Waldburger Bout

Sherdog.com learned of Hallman's injury on Saturday from a source close to the fighter. News of the welterweight's withdrawal was first reported by MMAJunkie.com. Currently, Waldburger is without a replacement opponent for the fight.

UFC Fight Night 24 takes place at the Key Arena in Seattle, Wash., and will be headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between former NCAA national wrestling champion Phil Davis and Brazilian standout Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

A 14-year veteran of the sport, Hallman has won his last two fights inside the Octagon, besting both Ben Saunders and Karo Parisyan in 2010. “Superman” made his promotional debut at UFC 29 in 2000, submitting UFC legend Matt Hughes with a 21-second armbar, closely mirroring the pair's 1998 encounter which ended in just 17 seconds, also with a Hallman armbar.

A winner in six of his last seven fights, the Washington native has experienced a career resurgence since being diagnosed with an allergy to wheat gluten that adversely affected his energy levels while training and fighting.

Riding a four-fight winning streak, the 22-year-old Waldburger holds notable victories over Brian Foster, Pete Spratt and Pat Healy. Waldburger made his UFC debut in September, handing David Mitchell his first career defeat in a unanimous decision.

Jeff Sherwood contributed to this report.