Tarec Saffiedine may be out of yet another fight, as MMAFighting.com reports that the UFC is searching for a potential replacement to face Rick Story next weekend at UFC Fight Night 88.
Though not officially off the card, Saffiedine suffered an injury in training last week, and according to the report will be seeing a doctor on Sunday or Monday to determine if he can fight next Sunday in Las Vegas. If not, the UFC is attempting to make sure Story remains on the card.
Saffiedine, the final Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, has had several injury delays already in his UFC run. He was out a year between his win over Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce and his UFC debut, and though he fought nine months after that, it was 15 months between fights before he finally got back into the cage this January in a win over Jake Ellenberger.
Story is returning off a lengthy layoff of his own, as he last fought in October of 2014 when he edged past Gunnar Nelson by split decision. The longtime vet’s layoff came after he underwent neck surgery, and he’s hoping to return to the fold as he makes it back to the cage.
Next week’s UFC Fight Night 88 event airs live on Fox Sports 1, headlined by the bantamweight bout between Cody Garbrandt and Thomas Almeida.
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