Al Iaquinta Out, Charles Oliveira In At UFC 218
Al Iaquinta has suffered an undisclosed injury and he has been pulled from UFC 218, replacing him against Paul Felder is going to be Charles Oliveira.
MMA Fighting first reported the news.
Felder (14-3-0) enters the fight on a two fight winning streak, defeating the duo of Alessandro Ricci and Stevie Ray. Felder is also competing on a UFC pay-per-view card for the first time in over two years, with his last appearance at such a card coming at UFC 191 in September 2015. Felder is also a veteran of the Cage Fury Fighting Championships promotion, where he defeated TUF 16 competitor Julian Lane.
Oliveira (22-7-0-1NC) has won just one of his last three under the UFC banner, with that lone win coming over Will Brooks at UFC 210. Oliveira has competed as both a featherweight and lightweight in the UFC, winning a total of ten fights in the promotion. Oliveira hasn’t had a fight go the distance in almost three years.
UFC 218 takes place on Saturday, December 2 from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan with Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
