It appears that the injury bug has bitten once again. Yesterday it was Jason Day and today it's James Lee.
Tim Patt (11-2) will fill-in for an injured Lee and take on Tim Boetsch (7-2) in a light heavyweight match up at UFC 88: "Breakthrough" at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on September 6.
While the promotion still has not made the switch official, MMAmania.com can confirm that it is indeed in the works.
Patt is a three-fight Bodog Fight veteran who has won seven of his last eight professional mixed martial arts bouts. He has not competed since a submission (guillotine choke) win over Adam Rodman at a Fight Time Productions show back in November 2007.
This will mark his first appearance inside the Octagon.
Boetsch, on the other hand, will look to improve his mark within the eight-sided cage to 2-1. "The Barbarian" burst onto the scene with an epic "rag doll" toss of David Heath at UFC 81: "Breaking Point" earlier this year, which led to a technical knockout victory.
However, he then ran into Matt Hamill and the thin Colorado air at UFC Fight Night 13, losing via technical knockout during a fight in which he appeared to lose considerable steam after the first five minutes of round one.
The 205-pound showdown between Boetsch and Patt is set for the preliminary card. Accordingly, there is no guarantee that it will air on the pay-per-view (PPV) telecast.
Unless, of course, Boetsch puts on another mind boggling Jeet Kun Do performance.
To check out the latest UFC 88 fight card and rumors click here.
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