Third time is a charm, or so Uriah Hall hopes.
The Ultimate Fighter 17 runner-up on Wednesday had his second opponent fall out of his scheduled UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen bout slated for Aug. 17 in Boston.
Hall was originally slated to face Nick Ring, but had his opponent switched to Josh Samman when Ring fell off the card due to an issue with his social security number. Samman has now had to withdraw from the fight card due to injury.
UFC officials have now re-signed John “Doomsday” Howard. Howard’s coach Wai Kru John Allan confirmed the bout to the Boston Herald.
Hall (7-3) is the former Ring of Combat middleweight champion, making his way to the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen. A member of Chael Sonnen’s team, Hall was a heavy favorite going into the show’s finale, but lost a split decision to teammate Kevin Gastelum.
Howard (20-8) returns on short notice to make his second run in the promotion. He amassed a 4-3 record during his first tenure, exiting the promotion having lost his final three fights in the Octagon.
Howard is 6-1 since exiting the UFC and has started to build some momentum, winning his last two fights. His only bump in the road has been a decision loss to Brazilian standout Leandro Silva.