Sage Northcutt will be facing a far more experienced opponent that originally anticipated at UFC 214.
Promotion officials confirmed Tuesday that 13-time Octagon veteran John Makdessi will replace the injured Claudio Puelles and face Northcutt at the July 29 event. Puelles was coming off a second-round stoppage loss to Martin Bravo in his promotional debut this past November. UFC 214 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones.