Kris Moutinho injured; Jonathan Martinez steps in vs. Aaron Phillips at UFC Fight Night in October
Kris Moutinho will have to wait a little bit longer to make his second walk to the UFC cage.
A fan-favorite bantamweight just one fight into his promotional tenure, Moutinho (9-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has withdrawn from his scheduled Oct. 23 bout vs. Aaron Phillips due to injury. Stepping into his place will be Factory X fighter Jonathan Martinez.
Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the matchup Friday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Martinez (13-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) looks to bounce back from a knockout loss to Davey Grant in March. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for the 27-year-old fighter and marked the first time in his pro career he was finished.
Phillips (12-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) re-signed with the UFC in 2020 after nearly six years outside of the promotion. He took a short-notice fight against Jack Shore, which he lost by second-round submission. The defeat snapped a five-fight winning streak for the Louisianan.
With the change, the Oct. 23 lineup includes:
Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori
Randa Markos vs. Livinha Souza
Daniel Lacerda vs. Jeff Molina
Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards
Jun Yong Park vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Mason Jones vs. Alan Patrick
Jonathan Martinez vs. Aaron Phillips
Nick Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva
Alex Caceres vs. Seung Woo Choi
Dwight Grant vs. Gabe Green
Maria Oliveira vs. Tabatha Ricci