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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Josh Grispi will no longer be fighting for the newly re-branded UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 125, but according to Heavy.com he will remain on the card.
Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo was forced out of the bout on Tuesday with a compressed vertebrae that will require a month of therapy, and Grispi will now meet Dustin Poirier on the card.
Poirier blasted through Zach Micklewright at WEC 52 earlier this month, defeating him in 53 seconds in Las Vegas. In his eight career fights, he has won seven, all by stoppage before the third round. He's gone to decision once, losing to Danny Castillo in his WEC debut.
Grispi was initially supposed to meet Erik Koch on the WEC 52 card, but was pulled to face Aldo at UFC 125. The 14-1 22-year-old has won ten straight fights overall, including four first round stoppages in the WEC.
UFC 125 airs live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by the Lightweight Championship bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
Penick's Analysis: Well, that's unfortunate news for the preliminary card fighters that were given a glimmer of hope for getting a televised slot. Grispi's going to have a chance to make a big impression on this card, and he'll either earn his title shot and introduce himself to the UFC audience in impressive fashion, or Poirier will make a big splash himself in his UFC debut. With Grispi having already been pulled from a bout, I'm sure he didn't want to stay out of action for any longer if he's ready to go. It's a risk, and if he gets hurt or doesn't win, he'll lose out on his shot at the title, but this also gives him a chance to introduce himself to the UFC fanbase before getting put into a title fight.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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