by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Jun 20, 2011 at 8:15 am ET
Japanese striker Riki Fukuda (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has been forced out of a UFC 133 bout with fellow middleweight Rafael "Sapo" Natal (12-3-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC).
In a Twitter update, Fukuda said he suffered a left-knee injury in a recent car accident. He didn't give a timetable for his return.
UFC officials have not officially announced the withdrawal or a possible replacement opponent for Natal.
UFC 133 takes place at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 6. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view, though Fukuda vs. Natal was slated for the preliminary card.
In his promotional debut, Fukuda suffered a very controversial loss to Nick Ring at UFC 127 in February. Fukuda appeared the clear-cut decision winner, but the judges ultimately awarded the fight to Ring. The questionable loss snapped the former DEEP champion and onetime DREAM fighter's seven-fight win streak.
The latest UFC 133 card now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
* Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans
* Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Vitor Belfort
* Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
* Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
* Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
* Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman
* Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
* Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
* Rafael "Sapo" Natal vs. TBA
* Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
Japanese striker Riki Fukuda (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has been forced out of a UFC 133 bout with fellow middleweight Rafael "Sapo" Natal (12-3-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC).
In a Twitter update, Fukuda said he suffered a left-knee injury in a recent car accident. He didn't give a timetable for his return.
UFC officials have not officially announced the withdrawal or a possible replacement opponent for Natal.
UFC 133 takes place at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 6. The night's main card airs on pay-per-view, though Fukuda vs. Natal was slated for the preliminary card.
In his promotional debut, Fukuda suffered a very controversial loss to Nick Ring at UFC 127 in February. Fukuda appeared the clear-cut decision winner, but the judges ultimately awarded the fight to Ring. The questionable loss snapped the former DEEP champion and onetime DREAM fighter's seven-fight win streak.
The latest UFC 133 card now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
* Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans
* Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Vitor Belfort
* Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
* Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
* Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya
* Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman
* Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace
* Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce
* Rafael "Sapo" Natal vs. TBA
* Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan
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