An elbow injury has forced Isi Fitikefu out of his Octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 20.
As a result, Markus Perez will step in and face Dalcha Lungiambula on Jan. 20 in Abu Dhabi. Multiple outlets confirmed the new middleweight booking following an initial report from Ag Fight. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place at the Flash Forum and is headlined by a welterweight duel between Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa.
The 30-year-old Perez has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances and is coming off a first-round knockout loss against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC Fight Night 179 on Oct.