Jim Miller (12-1) will step in for an injured Frank Edgar to take on the surging Matt Wiman (10-3) in a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., on Wednesday, December 10.
MMAmania.com can confirm that "The Answer" had to withdraw from the contest at the last minute and Miller has stepped up on short notice to answer the call of duty.
This will mark the second fight inside the Octagon for Miller -- he scored and impressive third round submission (rear naked choke) over David Baron at UFC 89: "Bisping vs. Leben" on October 18 in his promotional debut.
Prior to the big win, Miller plied his trade primarily in smaller shows throughout New Jersey. In fact, his only loss was a unanimous decision to none other than Frank Edgar. He holds a notable win over the very tough and experienced Bart Palaszewski via unanimous decision under the International Fight League (IFL) banner back in April.
Wiman has been impressive since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5, finishing three of four fights and winning them all. He demonstrated dangerous knockout power with a second round upset of Thiago Tavares at UFC 85: "Bedlam" back in June of this year.
He has four wins in five attempts inside the Octagon — his only loss was to Spencer Fisher way back when.
UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" will pay tribute to the United States servicemen and women serving in the armed forces. The three-hour Spike TV broadcast will coincide with a telethon during which viewers will be encouraged to call in and donate money to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
The card features two welterweight clashes between Josh Koscheck and Yoshiyuki Yoshida, as well as Mike Swick against Jonathan Goulet. It’s likely that the match up between Wiman and Miller will be featured on the televised main card, which will begin to air at 8 p.m. ET on Spike TV.
Keep in mind that the special event is designed to raise funds for the construction of The National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a treatment center for Armed Forces personnel who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. Therefore, donations are accepted and encouraged online at www.fallenheroesfund.org or by calling 1-800-340-HERO.
For all the latest on UFC Fight Night 16 be sure to hit up our event archive right here. MMAmania.com will also provide detailed and live results of all the action on fight night right here.