Bryan Caraway Replaces Injured Erik Perez Against Johnny Bedford at UFC 159

Bryan Caraway has stepped in to replace the injured Erik Perez against Johnny Bedford at this weekend’s UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen event at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

UFC officials announced the changes on Monday.

Perez (13-4) is undefeated in the UFC, winning all three of his fights in the first round, but a leg infection has forced him off the UFC 159 fight card.

Johnny Bedford (19-9-1) is also undefeated in the UFC, winning his two fights in the promotion by way of knockout.

Caraway (17-6) accepted the fight on short notice.  He is coming off a split decision loss to Takeya Mizugaki on March 3.  With just five days to prepare for Bedford, Caraway hopes to rebound from the loss to Mizugaki with a win on Saturday.

UFC 159 takes place April 27 and is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between champion Jon Jones and challenger Chael Sonnen.  The Caraway vs. Bedford bout headlines the preliminary portion of the card that airs live on FX.