Injury has forced UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to pull out of his UFC on FOX 9 main event against Josh Thomson scheduled for Dec. 14 in Sacramento.
Pettis (17-2) won the lightweight title at UFC 164 in August by defeating Benson Henderson with a first-round submission. The Milwaukee native hurt his knee in the win and the injury hasn’t fully healed.
Thomson (20-5) earned a title shot by knocking out Nate Diaz in April because No. 1 contender T.J. Grant of Nova Scotia is still recovering from a concussion he suffered in the summer.
The Pettis-Thomson matchup is still expected to take place, as according to the UFC the bout has officially been postponed; the promotion has yet to announce when it will take place.
The new main event will be a flyweight title bout between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, a fight originally scheduled to headline the TUF 18 Finale on Nov. 30. This is a rematch of the first ever UFC flyweight title bout in which Johnson edged Benavidez by split decision at UFC 152 in Toronto in September 2012.
Since becoming champ, Johnson (18-2-1) has gone on to defend his belt twice, beating John Dodson by unanimous decision and submitting John Moraga. Meanwhile, Benavidez (19-3) has won three straight over Ian McCall, Darren Uyenoyama and Jussier Formiga.
A trilogy bout between TUF 5 veterans and former lightweight title challengers Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard has been named the new main event for the Nov. 30. Although UFC main events are typically five-round affairs, this bout will be a three-round contest due to short notice.
Fans in Canada can watch both UFC on FOX 9 and the TUF 18 Finale on Sportsnet 360.
