UFC officials announced Monday that Mirsad Bektic will not fighth Max Holloway at this weekend's UFC Fight Night 49 due to an injury.
Bektic will be replaced by UFC newcomer "Cassius" Clay Collard, who holds a 13-4 record in MMA, having won four out of his last five fights, according to MMAjunkie.
Holloway holds a 9-3 record in MMA, having won five out of his eight fights in the UFC. The Hawaiian won his last two fights against Will Chope in January with a TKO in the second round and Andre Fili via submission in April at UFC 172.
Bektic holds an 8-0 record in MMA, having won his first fight in the UFC against Chas Skelly via decision in April, Bleacher Report said. The 23-year-old's bout with Holloway was expected to be the biggest fight of his professional career to date. The details of his injury have not yet been revealed.
Collard had previously fought for Showdown Fights in Utah before joining the UFC. He failed a drug test in February 2013 after his victory over Jordan Clements, which resulted in the fight's outcome being changed to a no-contest.
Twenty-two-year-old Holloway is one of the youngest competitors in the UFC and has been fighting in the Octagon for half of his adult life, Bleacher Report said.
Collard vs. Holloway joins five other fights on UFC Fight Night 49's main card, which include Tom Niinimaki vs. Chas Skelly, Valmir Lazaro vs. James Vick, Francis Carmont vs. Thales Leites, Jordan Mein vs. Mike Pyle and Rafael dos Anjos vs. Benson Henderson, MMAjunkie reported.
UFC Fight Night 49 will be held on Saturday, Aug. 23, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. Fighting fans can watch the preliminary fights on FOX Sports 2 and UFC Fight Pass and main card afterwards on FOX Sports 1.
