Ricky Simon Out; Brian Kelleher Now Faces Kevin Natividad at UFC Fight Night 176

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Brian Kelleher will welcome Kevin Natividad to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 176 on Saturday.

Natividad is a replacement for Ricky Simon, who was pulled from the card after one of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the change to the featherweight bout. UFC Fight Night 176 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+ beginning with prelims at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Kelleher will be competing for the fourth time this year. After kicking off his 2020 campaign with finishes of Ode Osbourne at UFC 246 and Hunter Azure at UFC Fight Night 171, “Boom” dropped a unanimous verdict to Cody Stamann in his most recent appearance at UFC 250 on June 8. The 34-year-old Maximum BJJ representative is 5-4 during his promotional tenure and 21-11 as a professional overall.

Anchored at Arizona Combat Sports, the 27-year old Natividad enters his Octagon debut on a five-bout winning streak — four of which have come under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner. Most recently, “Quicksand” scored a second-round knockout of Kyle Estrada at LFA 85 on July 17. Natividad is 9-1 over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2016.