Fabio Maldonado's UFC fight continues as he has replaced Junior Dos Santos and will be the latest addition to the TUF Brazil Finale fight card where he debuts in the heavyweight arena. "The Iron Hillbilly" will be facing Stipe Miocic as Dos Santos is out indefinitely due to a hand injury. Both men will be headlining the event, which is scheduled for May 31 at the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
The news was reported by Brazilian media outlet Combate, which was confirmed by various mainstream MMA websites like MMA Fighting. "The Iron Hillbilly," who originally fights at light heavyweight, has won three of his last four fights.
Upon hearing the news about Dos Santos' injury, Fabio Maldonado immediately stepped in as replacement with only a few weeks notice.
Since his debut in 2010 with UFC, Fabio Maldonado has fought at the 205-pound weight class. Despite the fact that this upcoming fight against Miocic will be his first fight at heavyweight with the organization, he sees no problem about it since he already has experience fighting in the said weight class.
"I'm weighting 223 pounds now, so weight is not an issue. The issue is timing," Maldonado told MMA Fighting. "Miocic is an excellent fighter with a good wrestling and boxing skills. The ideal would be three more weeks of training to prepare myself, but I can't choose. I take the opportunities they offer me."
UFC fighter Ffabio Maldonado currently trains with the legendary Nogueira brothers out of Rio de Janeiro. This gives him top-level preparation for what could be the biggest fight of his career, so far.
A victory over Miocic definitely gives Fabio Maldonado a boost up the UFC heavyweight rankings. And even though he is confident about his own skillset, he knows that he should not take his opponent lightly. But if there anything that he guarantees, it would be to give a memorable performance for the fans.
"I will try my best (to knock him out)," Maldonado added. "The only thing I promise the fans is that it's going to be a bloody, violent fight. I can't promise the win because anything can happen, but I will do my best."
