Two fights that were expected to take place in the new few weeks have been scratched. MMAjunkie.com first reported both of the scratches. The first scratch is in the upcoming featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 71 between top prospect Doo Ho Choi and Sam Sicilia, as Choi was forced to pull out with an undisclosed injury. Bummer, because that would have been a good fight between two heavy-hitting 145lbers. Choi has unfortunately been quite inactive in recent years and seems to be a bit injury prone, which is disappointing considering his talent. With Choi out of the fight, Sicilia needs a new opponent. Looking at the roster, a guy like Noad Lahat, who recently fought, could fill in for Sicilia. Another option could be Damon Jackson, who is coming off of a No Contest. What’s most likely to happen, though, is that the UFC signs a local California featherweight, or possibly a blown-up bantamweight to take the fight on short notice. The second scratch comes in the bantamweight bout between Marcus Brimage and Ian Entwistle, which was set to take place at UFC Fight Night 72. Unfortunately, Entwistle is out with an injury. I actually really like watching Entwistle fight as he’s a heel-hook specialist and there just aren’t many of them around anymore. I was looking forward to this fight with the always-durable Brimage, as I figured it would be an intriguing style match putting a ground specialist against a sprawl-and-brawler. Entwistle is, in my opinion anyways, pretty underrated. I know he’s a one-trick pony, but hey, he wins fights, and his win over Anthony Birchak looks fantastic in retrospect. With Entwistle out, Brimage needs a new opponent. It’s possible a local U.K. bantamweight or even a flyweight could be signed to take the fight, but it’s also possible someone like Cody Gibson or Patrick Williams gets the fight. Either way, expect Brimage to stick on the card. Hopefully both Brimage and Sicilia stay on their respective cards, as both men are solid fighters and exciting to watch. Stay tuned to MMAOddsbreaker.com for all the latest news and updates to upcoming fight cards.
