UFC featherweight contender Frankie Edgar has been forced to pull out of a scheduled main event against Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 10 because of an injury, and the UFC has booked Yair Rodriguez as a short-notice replacement.
The UFC Fight Night event is scheduled to take place at Pepsi Center in Denver. UFC president Dana White broke the news to ESPN on Friday.
Edgar tore his left biceps, sources close to his camp told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The injury is not expected to require surgery, and Edgar is hoping to return in early 2019, the sources said.
Rodriguez (10-2), 26, hasn’t fought since he suffered a TKO loss to Edgar in May 2017. Rodriguez was supposed to face Zabit Magomedsharipov in September but withdrew from the fight because of an injury.
A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Rodriguez is considered a top prospect at 145 pounds. The UFC nearly cut ties with him earlier this year because of contractual and matchmaking disputes, but the relationship was ultimately mended.
Jung (14-4), better known by the nickname “Korean Zombie,” is coming off a 21-month layoff. He was also forced to pull out of a fight earlier this year — a matchup against Ricardo Lamas in July — because of an injury.