Report: Thiago Tavares Replaces Injured Dennis Hallman, Faces Tony Ferguson at UFC on Fox 3

Headlined by a pivotal lightweight confrontation between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, UFC on Fox 3 takes place May 5 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Also featuring a welterweight scrap pitting Josh Koscheck against Johny Hendricks, the event marks the promotion’s second appearance on network television in 2012.

Tavares has won back-to-back fights heading into his showdown with Ferguson. After beginning 2011 with a knockout defeat to Shane Roller, the Brazilian has shined on his home soil, notching a first-round technical knockout over Spencer Fisher at UFC 134 before outpointing Sam Stout two months ago at UFC 142.

Ferguson has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon. The winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 as a welterweight, “El Cucuy” dominated Ramsey Nijem at the live finale in June. The Californian followed that win with a pair of lightweight victories to close out the year, stopping Aaron Riley on Sept. 24 and earning a unanimous nod over Yves Edwards on Dec. 3.