McDonald Replaces Injured ‘Kid,’ Meets Cariaso at UFC 130

“‘Kid’ Yamamoto has withdrawn from his May 28 bout vs. Chris Cariaso due to injury,” said UFC President Dana White. “In his place will be [the] UFC’s youngest fighter and one of its most exciting, Michael McDonald, who is coming off a recent ‘Fight of The Night’ performance. Chris Cariaso carries a great record of his own with a fast style, and he plans on cementing his place in the bantamweight division with a win over the highly touted prospect. Both have verbally agreed to the fight.”

UFC 130 goes down May 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a lightweight title rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. The event will also feature a light heavyweight confrontation in the co-main event between former champion Quinton Jackson and Matt Hamill.

A brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, McDonald has been bested only once in his three-year professional career. Following a successful run in both Gladiator Challenge and Tachi Palace Fights, the 20-year-old debuted under the Zuffa banner at WEC 52 in November, submitting Clint Godfrey with a first-round armbar. The bantamweight then earned “Fight of the Night” in his Octagon debut, outpointing the game Edwin Figueroa en route to a unanimous nod at UFC Fight Night 24 in March.

A Strikeforce veteran, Cariaso debuted with the WEC in June, earning a unanimous decision over Rafael Rebello at WEC 49. “Kamikaze” tasted defeat in his next outing, however, as the Californian was choked out by Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado at WEC 53 in December. The bantamweight rebounded from the loss with another victory in 2011, outpointing Will Campuzano at UFC Fight Night 23 in January.