UFC 142: Erick Silva vs Carlo Prater to fight in Rio with Siyar Bahadurzada injured

With Golden Glory welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada injured and unable to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Jan. 14, 2012, Carlo Prater has been tapped to replace him against Erick Silva.

Silva announced the UFC 142 under card match up via his personal Twitter.com account.

Prater (29-10-1) is former number one welterweight contender for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), losing via submission (guillotine choke) to the now-defunct promotion's division champion at the time, Carlos Condit, back in 2008.

"Neo" has been inconsistent throughout his mixed martial arts (MMA) career; however, he has recently strung together four consecutive victories, all via tapout, to earn his first opportunity to fight inside the Octagon.

Silva (13-1) made quick work of Luis Ramos in his first appearance under the UFC banner, crushing his Brazilian counterpart in just 40 seconds back at UFC 134. The Brazilian has not lost in more than five years and will look to continue that trend in front of his fellow countrymen.

Both fighters are very talented on the ground, meaning this could turn into a technical 170-pound battle for position with the first fighter to make a mistake the likely loser.

UFC 142 will feature featherweight champion Jose Aldo defending his 145-pound title against undefeated wrestler Chad Mendes. In addition, Vitor Belfort will strap on the gloves to try and ruin Anthony Johnson's debut at middleweight.

To check out the latest UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" fight card and rumors click here.