Marcelo Rojo will make his UFC debut after all — he’ll just have to wait a few weeks longer.
Rojo (16-6) had signed on with the promotion to fight on short notice against Raoni Barcelos this weekend at UFC Vegas 20. Rojo was set to replace Raphael Assuncao — however, Barcelos was forced off the card due to a positive COVID-19 test.
A bit of a tease for Rojo — but now, the very game bantamweight will step in for Steve Garcia on March 13. Moving to featherweight, Rojo will be up against Canada’s Charles Jourdain (10-3-1).
Entre Rounds was first to report the news. No reason has been given for Garcia’s withdrawal from the fight.
Rojo, a Combate Americas veteran, has been fighting exclusively with the Hispanic language promotion since 2017. During that time, he’s compiled a 6-2 record, with his most recent loss to recent UFC addition John Castaneda.
Jourdain will enter the fight off a draw with Josh Culibao back in October. Overall, he’s 1-2-1 in the UFC to date, but still ranks as a top prospect at featherweight.
The UFC’s March 13 date, UFC Fight Night 187, currently consists of the following bouts:
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann
Matheus Nicolau vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Ricardo Ramos vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Jinh Yu Frey vs. Gloria de Paula
Davey Grant vs. Jonathan Martinez
Ray Rodriguez vs. Rani Yahya
Jason Witt vs. Matthew Semelsberger
Eryk Anders vs. Darren Stewart
Don Madge vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Ben Rothwell vs. Philipe Lins
Dan Ige vs. Gavin Tucker
Charles Jourdain vs. Marcelo Rojo
