Vagner Rocha Injury Scratches Joe Ellenberger Debut at UFC 172 in Baltimore
Vagner Rocha is a late scratch from UFC 172. | Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
A last-minute injury to Vagner Rocha has forced the Ultimate Fighting Championship to cancel his planned lightweight showdown with Joe Ellenberger at UFC 172.
UFC officials recently announced the news, revealing that Saturday’s event will now move forward with 10 bouts. UFC 172 takes place at Baltimore Arena and airs live on pay-per-view, headlined by a light heavyweight title showdown pitting reigning 205-pound king Jon Jones against challenger Glover Teixeira.
Rocha, 31, was tapped to replace Yancy Medeiros at the event, who was pulled from his planned clash with Ellenberger in order to fill the void left by an injured Bobby Green against Jim Miller. The Brazilian would have ridden a four-fight winning streak into his Octagon return, most recently scoring a submission victory last August within Florida’s Fight Time Promotions.
As a result of Rocha’s late injury, Ellenberger’s UFC debut is now to-be-announced. The twin brother of welterweight talent Jake Ellenberger, Joe’s UFC foray was postponed for several years by a rare blood disease. However, “Excalibur” received treatment and returned to competition in 2011, posting four victories in five outings, including a knockout of Joe Wilk last December at Victory Fighting Championship 38.
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