A former UFC and WEC fighter will step back into the octagon as a late replacement on May 15th. Francisco Rivera will take on Alex Soto at UFC on Fuel 3 in Fairfax, VA. Sherdog brings you the news:
Heavy-handed bantamweight Francisco Rivera will get a second chance in the Octagon, albeit on short notice.
With less than two weeks before the event, Rivera has agreed to replace Azamat Gashimov and take on fellow Californian Alex Soto at UFC on Fuel TV 3. Sherdog.com learned of the change Tuesday from a source close to the bout; the reason for Gashimov's withdrawal was not immediately known.
Rivera entered the WEC as a featherweight with a 5-0 record, but was TKO'd in the first round by Erik Koch at WEC 53. He moved over the UFC as a bantamweight after the merger, but lost his only bout to Reuben Duran by third-round submission. Soto is looking to rebound from a loss to Michael McDonald. in his UFC debut (on short notice) at UFC 139.
The bout will take place on the preliminary card.