A little over a week out from the event, Jesse Strader is out of his bantamweight fight with promotional newcomer Mana Martinez.
In place of Strader will be Trevin Jones, stepping up on very short notice to take on Martinez. UFC officials announced Jones vs. Martinez in a press release on Thursday. MMA Island was first to report the change.
No reason was given for Strader’s withdrawal from the event.
Jones (13-6, 1NC) last competed in March, picking up a victory over Mario Bautista by way of second round knockout. That moved his UFC record to 1-0 with a no contest — a fight that was originally a win over Timur Valiev. That result was overturned due to a positive drug test for marijuana, an unpopular decision that may have helped spur on recent changes in Nevada’s drug testing policy.
Originally, Jones was expected to compete in July, but two opponents, on separate dates, didn’t make it to the octagon. Tony Kelley withdrew from a fight with Trevin Jones on July 24, while Ronnie Lawrence blew weight a week later, leading to his own fight with Jones being cancelled.
Hopefully the third time is the charm for Jones against Martinez, an 8-2 bantamweight who previously competed on Dana White’s Contender Series. Martinez currently sits on a two-fight win streak, since coming up short on DWCS against Drako Rodriguez.
UFC Vegas 34 (UFC on ESPN 29) takes place on August 21 at the Apex in Las Vegas, NV. Kelvin Gastelum meets Jared Cannonier in the middleweight main event.
