With Josh Koscheck scratched because of a toe injury, Chris Wilson has agreed to fight former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Octagon veteran, Brock Larson, at UFC 98 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23.
"Kos" broke his toe last week while training for the 170-pound match up, which would have marked his fourth fight in six months. The American Kickboxing Academy product was holding out hope that he could still compete, but it became clear over the weekend that he would be unable to prepare effectively.
Enter Larson.
The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy-trained fighter recently returned to the UFC after leaving for the WEC in late 2006, scoring a first round submission win (rear naked choke) over Jesse Sanders at UFC Fight Night 18 earlier this month.
It was the second win in three attempts inside the Octagon for the former number one WEC welterweight contender -- he holds a unanimous decision win over Keita Nakamura and dropped a unanimous decision loss to Jon Fitch while with the promotion.
Now that the WEC has dissolved its 170-pound class, Larson is eager to climb back up to the top of the division ladder. And that journey continues against the super tricky fighter from Team Nogueira.
Wilson will look to rebound from a tough loss -- he dropped a split-decision to John Howard at UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2" on Jan. 31. It was the lone bright spot on a rather uneventful card, bringing home co "Fight of the Night" honors.
Wilson had a recent four-fight win streak snapped in early 2008 when he stepped up to take on top division contender, Jon Fitch, on super short notice in a losing effort (unanimous decision). He was invited back shortly thereafter and defeated Steve Bruno in a lopsided unanimous decision at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy."
This will mark his fourth fight under the UFC banner.
To check out the latest UFC 98 fight card and rumors click here.
Get the latest gear
