Clementi replaces Emerson at UFC 84
Just three days after defeating Sam Stout at this past Saturday's UFC 83 event in Montreal, veteran fighter and rising lightweight contender Rich Clementi (31-12-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has agreed to fill in for an injured Rob Emerson to fight Terry Etim (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 84.
The UFC today announced the change for the May 24 card, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The organization did not disclose the injury that forced Emerson to pull out of the preliminary-card fight.
As MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, Emerson actually replaced Jeremy Stephens, who was Etim's original opponent. However, Stephens had to deal with a minor legal situation and has instead been scheduled to fight Spencer Fisher in June at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale.
Clementi, whose career found new life after a stint on the "comeback" season of "The Ultimate Fighter," will go for his sixth straight win, including his fourth straight in the UFC. The 31-year-old, who defeated Stout via split decision at UFC 83, began his UFC career with three losses in four fights.
Etim will return to the octagon for the first time since a unanimous-decision loss to Gleison Tibau at this past September's UFC 75 event in London. Prior to the loss -- the first of Etim's career -- the 22-year-old Brit made his UFC debut with a stunning comeback over Matt Grice at UFC 70. After getting beaten around for much of the first round, Etim reversed his position and locked in a fight-ending guillotine choke. He earned a $30,000 "Submission of the Night" bonus for the performance.
UFC 84 line up and news
