Next month’s UFC 195 event has received a new fight, and a change to a previously scheduled matchup, bringing it to 11 official bouts thus far. The UFC announced this week that Abel Trujillo will take on Tony Sims on the card, while Joe Soto has stepped in for an injured Russell Doane to take on Michinori Tanaka.
Trujillo, still appealing a submission loss to Gleison Tibau last month at UFC Fight Night 78 in Brazil, makes a relatively quick turnaround in hopes of halting a two-fight losing streak. Sims is 1-1 through two UFC appearances, both within the last six months. He debuted with a KO win over Steve Montgomery in June before dropping a decision to Olivier Aubin-Mercier in August.
The Doane-Tanaka bout was only booked recently, but Doane’s quick exit opened a door for Soto, who is in desperate need of victory to keep himself on the UFC roster. After a last-minute change gave him a title shot in his UFC debut, Soto was defeated by T.J. Dillashaw on a day’s notice. He then wound up on the wrong end of another KO loss when Anthony Birchak stopped him in the first round in June.
He will try to halt that losing streak against Tanaka, who returns to action for the first time since September of 2014. The 25-year-old suffered his first career loss in that fight, a split decision to Kyung Ho Kang, halting an undefeated ten fight run prior to that bout.
UFC 195 hits the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 2, headlined by the UFC Welterweight Championship bout between Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit.
[Photo (c) Joe Camporeale via USA Today Sports]
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