Jimi Manuwa Out; Eryk Anders Meets Thiago Santos in UFC Sao Paulo Main Event
The hits just keep on coming for the UFC’s return to Sao Paulo this weekend.
Jimi Manuwa has been forced out of the main event just six days away so Eryk Anders has accepted the call to face Thiago Santos on short notice in the new headliner at UFC Fight Night on Saturday from Brazil.
Sources close to the situation confirmed the news on Sunday following an initial report from MMAJunkie. UFC officials have not made any formal announcement regarding the new fight or the late change to the card.
The card in Sao Paulo has been ravaged by injuries — most notably in the main event, which started out as Manuwa facing Glover Teixeira. Now through a series of changes, Santos will face Anders in a light heavyweight showdown.
Anders is fresh off a stunning knockout win in his last fight in late August and now he will make the quick turn around to travel to Brazil for his second UFC main event.
Santos also took this fight on shorter notice after he defeated Kevin Holland at UFC 227 and then bumped up to 205 pounds to face Manuwa in Brazil.
As it turns out, Santos will stay at light heavyweight but now he faces the former University of Alabama football standout, who will look to pick up a win on just six days notice when they clash on Saturday night in Brazil.
