George Roop vs Leonard Garcia booked for WEC 47 with Diego Nunes hurt

It looks like George Roop will garner some brownie points from the Zuffa brass.

A few days after Diego Nunes withdrew from his upcoming bout against Leonard Garcia at WEC 47 on March 6, Roop stepped up and saved Zuffa from scrambling for a replacement. Garcia confirmed the new matchup when he spoke to MMAWeekly.

Garcia (13-5) looks to rebound from the loss against Manny Gamburyan at WEC 44 in November and keep his second shot at the featherweight title within reach. Since moving down to featherweight, the Jackson's MMA product has earned victories over Hiroyuki Takaya, Jens Pulver, and Jameel Massouh.

Aside from the aforementioned loss to Manny Gamburyan, he also faltered in his challenge for the WEC featherweight title against Mike Brown at WEC 39.

Roop (10-6), The Ultimate Fighter Season Eight alum, comes off a decision loss to Eddie Wineland at WEC 46 in January. He fought three times in UFC as a lightweight, following his appearance in TUF. The bantamweight bout against Wineland marked his WEC debut. Against Garcia, he will jump back up to featherweight for his third bout in the weight class.

WEC 47 will take place in Columbus, Ohio and features a bantamweight title bout in which Brian Bowles makes his first title defense against Dominick Cruz. In addition, a showdown between the former bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres, and the top contender, Joseph Benavidez, is scheduled as a co-headliner for the fight card.