Lavar Johnson Injures Groin, Withdraws from UFC on Fox 5 Bout Against Brendan Schaub

UFC President Dana White announced via Twitter on Thursday that Johnson pulled his groin and would no longer be able to compete in the preliminary bout, which was scheduled to air on FX. UFC on Fox 5 takes place at the Key Arena in Seattle on Dec. 8 and is headlined by a lightweight title tilt between Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz.

Johnson last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 146, where he fell to towering Dutchman Stefan Struve via armbar in just 65 seconds. A veteran of the Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting promotions, Johnson made his UFC debut earlier this year, scoring a first-round knockout of durable brawler Joey Beltran at UFC on Fox 2. “Big” then returned to action to stop kickboxer Pat Barry via first-round strikes in May. The 35-year-old Californian has finished 15 of his 17 victories by knockout or technical knockout.

Schaub, 26, has lost his last two UFC appearances by first-round knockout, falling to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134 and Ben Rothwell at UFC 145. The Grudge Training Center representative owns notable triumphs against Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Filipovic during his Octagon tenure.

“Frustrated would be an understatement. Back to the gym,” Schaub wrote on Twitter.