Prospect Alex Oliveira Steps in for Thomson, Faces Burns at UFC Fight Night 62
Brazilian super prospect Gilbert Burns will remain on the card at UFC Fight Night 62 on March 21 and will do so against another up-and-comer in Alex Oliveira.
Oliveira, who has never fought in the UFC, will step in to replace Josh Thomson, who announced his withdrawal from the lightweight contest earlier this week. Portuguese-language site PVT first reported news of the replacement, and MMAFighting.com has the translation.
There has been no announcement on whether the bout will remain as the evening's co-main event.
"Gilbert Burns meets Brazilian prospect Alex Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 62 (@guicruzzz) http://t.co/kTB52DshG1 pic.twitter.com/apZ10LGy8v
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) February 26, 2015"
"Cowboy" Oliveira, 26, has competed mainly at welterweight in various promotions around his native Brazil. The Rio de Janeiro product is 10-1-1 (1) with eight knockouts and one submission win to his name. He has not lost since 2013.
Oliveira is an aggressive, entertaining fighter and will make for a massive lightweight, assuming the fight remains at 155 pounds.
At the same time, if he lacks a polished ground game, that may not bode well against Burns.
The 28-year-old Burns (9-0) is a world-class jiu-jitsu practitioner with five submission wins on his MMA record. He is 2-0 thus far in his UFC career, though his bout against Thomson would have been a major step up in competition over the two opponents he has faced in the Octagon thus far.
The matchup loses substantial luster after Thomson's withdrawal. The former Strikeforce champion cited an undisclosed injury as the reason for pulling out. The 36-year-old had lost his two previous fights but is still considered a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division.
UFC Fight Night 62 is scheduled to go down March 21 in Rio de Janeiro. Demian Maia vs. Ryan LaFlare serves as the headliner. The fight also will feature a promising welterweight matchup between Erick Silva and Ben Saunders, both of whom are no stranger to giving and receiving knockouts.
