Injury Forces Eddie Wineland Off UFC on Fox Card

Johnny Bedford awaits new opponent for Chicago show

An injury has knocked Eddie Wineland out of next month’s UFC on Fox card in Chicago, and Johnny Bedford now awaits a new opponent.

The UFC announced news of Wineland’s injury on Monday, and Wineland told HeavyMMA.com on Tuesday the injury was an ankle sprain suffered in training, saying he just needs to give the injury time to heal before starting back to training.

Wineland was one of just three Chicago-area fighters on the card, which takes place Jan. 28 at the United Center. Wineland, the first bantamweight champion in WEC history, splits his training time between Chicago and his Northwest Indiana home.

Wineland (18-8-1, 0-2 UFC) won four straight fights to finish off his WEC career, including back-to-back Knockout of the Night bonuses against Will Campuzano and Ken Stone. But his first two UFC fights came against former featherweight champion Urijah Faber and former bantamweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez, both unanimous decision losses. The loss to Faber, in which Wineland won the first round on all three judges’ cards, likely would have gotten a shot at Dominick Cruz‘s bantamweight title.

Bedford (18-9-1, 1-0 UFC), a competitor on Season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter” this past fall, won his UFC debut earlier this month with a third-round TKO against housemate Louis Gaudinot at the TUF 14 Finale. The Ohio native was eliminated in the TUF semifinals against eventual bantamweight winner John Dodson.

UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis features a main event light heavyweight fight between former champion Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, a co-main event middleweight contenders bout between Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz and a middleweight fight between Michael Bisping and Demian Maia. It will be the UFC’s second card on the Fox network, but the first under the seven-year broadcast deal that starts in 2012.

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