Beneil Dariush has been forced to withdraw from his pivotal lightweight matchup with Mairbek Taisumov early next year due to injury. Filling in for the UFC contender is prospect Chris Wade, who now faces Taisumov on short notice at UFC Fight Night 81. Newsday.com initially reported the matchup but UFC officials have also confirmed the news.
Taisumov (24-5) is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with technical knockouts over Alan Patrick, Anthony Christodoulou and Marcin Bandel since October 2014. The 27-year old's last loss came to the hands of Michel Prazeres early last year.