John Hathaway Injured, Out of Bout with Gunnar Nelson at UFC 189

The lineup for UFC 189 is under fire, and John Hathaway is the latest confirmed fighter to fall victim to injury.

While a fractured rib, per Globo/Brazil (h/t Fox Sports), suffered by featherweight king Jose Aldo has his highly anticipated bout with Conor McGregor in serious jeopardy, the British welterweight was forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout with Gunnar Nelson because of an undisclosed injury suffered in training as confirmed by UFC officials on Tuesday.

Update: Gunnar Nelson now has a new opponent in the form of Brandon Thatch, as first reported by MMAJunkie.com. Thatch was originally scheduled to face John Howard on the UFC 189 prelims. With Hathaway out, Thatch got bumped up.

Howard will now square off against the incoming Cathal Pendred, who is coming in on short notice. He most recently competed at UFC 188 in Mexico City. He edged out Augusto Montano by unanimous decision in a fight many people panned for its lack of action. 

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MMA Junkie originally reported the news, and it is the latest setback in a string of rough turns for the once-touted prospect. 

ANDERS WIKLUND/Associated Press

The 27-year-old London Shootfighters representative won seven of his first eight showings inside the Octagon, but the past three years have seen his momentum stall dramatically. The Hitman was sidelined for 17 months while he recovered from illness and injury, only to have his comeback bout against Dong Hyun Kim soured via a vicious spinning back elbow in the third round of their main event tilt at The Ultimate Fighter: China Finale in March 2014.

Furthermore, Hathaway's continued battle with Crohn's disease has kept him on the shelf in the 16 months since his bout with Stun Gun. While there has been no official replacement named as of yet, according to MMA Junkie the promotion is seeking to fill the slot opposite Nelson for UFC 189. 

Where Hathaway would have been looking to turn things around on July 11 in Las Vegas, the Iceland native shares the same objective. The grappling ace suffered the first loss of his professional career at the hands of Rick Story at Fight Night 53 as the Washington State-born powerhouse edged him via split decision on the judges' scorecards.

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.