Ten days after the UFC announced that “Cowboy” was going to meet Li Jingliang at UFC’s return to Sunrise, Fla. on April 27, the Chinese welterweight was forced out of the contest, sources told MMA Fighting. Combate first reported the news.
According to sources, Jingliang suffered a neck and back injury and hasn’t been training well for days. The company is currently looking for a new name to face Oliveira.
The Brazilian fighter is looking to rebound from a second-round submission defeat to Gunnar Nelson in December. Prior to that, “Cowboy” had back-to-back “Performance of the Night” finishes over Carlos Condit and Carlo Pedersoli.