Former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (17-6) has sustained a shoulder injury that will keep him from competing against Pride FC import Antonio Rogerio Nogueria in the co main event at UFC 114: "Rampage vs. Evans," according to TMZ.com.
With little more than three weeks until the pay-per-view (PPV) event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., May 29, it's unclear at this time if a suitable replacement will be found to take on "Lil Nog" on such short notice.
Griffin most recently rebounded from an embarrassing knockout loss at the hands of Anderson Silva to avenge a 2006 defeat to Tito Ortiz, outpointing "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" en route to a split decision victory in the main event of UFC 106 last November.
The win snapped a two-fight losing streak that began when he coughed up the 205-pound strap to Rashad Evans at UFC 92 in December 2008.
A big win over the fast-rising "Minotoro" would have likely put him right back in the light heavyweight title hunt. But it appears that quest has been temporarily put on hold until further notice.
UFC 114 will run in conjunction with this year's Fan Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and feature a 205-pound grudge match between former light heavyweight champions and Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 coaches "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.
The 185-pound showdown between Michael Bisping and Dan Miller would likely be bumped up under the main event if an opponent cannot be found for Nogueira.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this breaking news.
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