UFC lightweight John "The Bull" Makdessi (9-0-0) out of the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada, has been forced to withdraw from his Aug 14 bout at UFC Live 5 due to an undisclosed injury.
UFC officials announced the news on Monday, but a replacement was not difficult to find with the uber-stacked lightweight division; Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (15-3-0) and Paul "Relentless" Taylor (11-6-1) have verbally agreed to meet on the card in a match-up that promises all the fireworks a Makdessi vs. Taylor bout would have produced.
Cerrone last appeared at UFC 131 where he picked apart Vagner Rocha over three rounds en route to a unanimous decision win, but "Cowboy" was his own biggest critic after the performance and at 2-0 inside the octagon, the WEC veteran was eager to have a quick turnaround.
Paul Taylor presents the kind of challenge Cerrone has been calling for, a swift kickboxer that throws caution to the wind in efforts to put together combinations and produce offence. His pressing style will likely turn Cerrone the counter-puncher in this one, but expect the bout to earn fight of the night considerations with these participants. Taylor last competed at UFC 126 - Silva vs. Belfort where he defeated TUF alumnus Gabe Ruediger by knockout.
It has also been reported, first by MMAFighting.com that top welterweight contenders Jake Shields (26-5-1) and Jake Ellenberger (24-5-0) are likely squaring off in what would be a highly anticipated contest later this fall. The bout is yet to be confirmed by the UFC, but speculation is that it's being eyed for UFC 138, November 19, in San Jose, California.
Shields had a 15-fight winning streak snapped by champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129, April 30, 2011, at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada. The submission specialist is 1-1 inside the octagon, but hasn't made the kind of impression on the division most had expected, narrowly defeating Martin Kampmann via decision in his UFC debut - a fight many onlookers had him losing.
"The Juggernaut", Jake Ellenberger is 4-1 inside the octagon since joining the promotion late in 2009. Dropping his UFC debut to Carlos Condit via split decision, Ellenberger has put four consecutive wins together and last appeared at UFC 129 himself, where he knocked out hometown favorite Sean Pierson in the first round. In an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network a couple months back, Ellenberger had this to say regarding the possible match-up: “If they do make that match, and me and Jake get to fight, he’s not a hard guy to figure out... I feel like I can beat him right now.”
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