The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut of Joe Ellenberger has been put on pause because his opponent this weekend (Sat., April 26, 2014) at UFC 172, Vagner Rocha, was injured in training while in Baltimore, Md., the host city for the pay-per-view (PPV) event.
With just four days until showtime, UFC has decided to move forward with a 10-fight card from Baltimore Arena, according to its official website.
Rocha was actually a last-minute replacement for Yancy Medeiros, who was promoted to compete on the main PPV card to fight Jim Miller earlier this week when Miller’s originally scheduled opponent, Bobby Green, was recently forced to withdraw because of an injury.
As a result of the eleventh-hour reshuffle, Danny Castillo vs. Charlie Brenneman, which was supposed to air online via Fight Pass, will now be featured on the FOX Sports 1 "Prelims" portion of the under card.
Ellenberger, the older twin brother of established Welterweight contender, Jake Ellenberger, signed a four-fight contract with UFC earlier this year after racking up two straight wins under Titan Fighting Championship and Victory Fighting Championship banners. With a record of 14-1, Ellenberger was eager to make a name for himself in the highly-competitive UFC lightweight division. However, it seems he has no choice but to wait until the time — and conditions — are right.
And, oddly, he can blame the lame Green for the delay.