David Heath (7-2) will take on last minute replacement Tim Boetsch (6-1) -- not Anthony Ruiz (20-10) as previously reported -- in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 81: "Breaking Point" on Saturday, February 2, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to UFC.com.
It appears that the MMAWeekly.com report that Ruiz would step in for the injured Tomasz Drwal was either premature or incorrect (or both).
Drwal had to withdraw from the contest with a knee injury sustained while preparing for the fight. This report is a bit peculiar because it contradicts a statement from the UFC just yesterday that the SuperBowl weekend show would "carry on" with only eight match ups.
However, it appears as if the situation has changed within the last 24 hours.
Boetsch most recently dropped a unanimous decision to the super tough Vladimir Matyushenko at the International Fight League (IFL) 2007 Semifinals. Matyushenko went on to defeat Alex Schoenauer to become the first light heavyweight champion in the history of the organization.
Heath will look to erase the horrible memories of his last fight when he was choked unconscious during his last fight against Renato "Babalu" Sobral at UFC 74: "Respect" in August 2007.
The controversial result led to the ouster of the Brazilian veteran and to Heath's second straight loss — he dropped a unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida at UFC 70: "Nations Collide" earlier that same year.
To check out the most recent UFC 81 fight card click here.
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