Phil De Fries Faces Rob Broughton at UFC 138, Matt Brown Moved to UFC 139

Matt Brown

Veteran welterweight faces fellow TUF alum Seth Baczynski

Just a couple weeks before the UFC returns to England, the line-up for UFC 138 has undergone some slight variations thanks to a pair of recent injuries.

With his original opponent Oli Thompson forced from the card, unbeaten British heavyweight Phil De Fries has agreed to face two-time UFC competitor Rob Broughton in Birmingham instead. Broughton is 1-1 inside the Octagon, most recently coming out on the wrong side of a unanimous decision result opposite Travis Browne at UFC 135 last month.

While De Fries will remain on the card with a new opponent across the cage from him, UFC veteran Matt Brown will no longer be making the trip across the Atlantic.

Brown, who was scheduled to face British welterweight prospect John Hathaway, will now face fellow Ultimate Fighter alumnus Seth Baczynski after the 24-year-old Hathaway was forced to withdraw due to an injury. In addition to facing a new opponent, the bout has been moved to UFC 139 in San Jose as well, giving Brown an additional two weeks to prepare.

After dropping all three of his 2010 fights, Brown got back into the win column at UFC on Versus 4 in Pittsburgh, defeating another struggling welterweight, John Howard. A member of Team Forrest during Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter, Brown is 5-4 inside the Octagon.

Baczynski has gone 3-0 since being released by the UFC following a loss to Brad Tavares at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale; all three of those bouts have come at welterweight. He returned to the UFC as a late replacement for DaMarques Johnson at UFC Fight Night 25, defeating Clay Harvison by rear naked choke in the second round.

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