Derek Brunson has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled UFC 200 bout against Gegard Mousasi due to injury. Brazilian Thiago Santos will step up and take on the No. 8 ranked middleweight on July 9.
Santos (13-3) is riding a four-fight winning streak. He’s coming off a first-round knockout win over Nate Marquardt in his last outing. He’s currently ranked No. 14 in the middleweight division.
Mousasi rebounded from a loss to Uriah Hall in his last outing, defeating Thales Leites by unanimous decision in February. He’ll be looking to start a winning streak when he faces Santos.
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UFC 200 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 9. The blockbuster event is headlined by the light heavyweight title fight between champion Daniel Cormier and former titleholder Jon Jones. Women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate will defend her title for the first time against Amanda Nunes while former champions Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar will compete for the interim featherweight title. The fight card also includes the return of Brock Lesnar, who takes on Mark Hunt in the fight card’s co-man event.
