Phan faces Matt Grice on October 8 in Houston, Texas
Nam Phan is getting a chance to get right back into the Octagon.
The TUF 12 finalist will replace former featherweight contender Josh Grispi opposite Matt Grice when the UFC returns to Houston for UFC 136 in October. The UFC announced the injury replacement late Thursday night.
Phan is coming off a hard-fought loss to former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown at UFC 133 in Philadelphia. The loss dropped him to 0-2 since emerging as a fan favorite as part of Team Koscheck on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. He lost a highly-controversial bout to Leonard Garcia on the program’s Finale before dropping a decision to Brown last weekend. Still seeking that elusive first UFC victory, Phan hopes to make the most of the opportunity to quickly climb back into the cage.
Once viewed as the top contender in the featherweight division, 2011 has been a disaster for Grispi. He was upset by rising star Dustin Poirier at UFC 125, before being stopped by George Roop six months later at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale. The 22-year-old has been marred by injuries throughout his career, including back and ankle issues. There has been no announcement of what caused his withdraw from the event at this time.
Grice is 13-4 and coming off a loss to Ricardo Lamas at the UFC on Versus 4 event in Pittsburgh back in June.