As UFC Fight Night 81 approaches, the promotion was forced to change a pair of match-ups for Sunday. Mairbek Taisumov and Abdul-Kerim Edilov were forced out of their bouts, and the UFC signed a couple fighters to replace them at the TD Garden in Boston.
Chris Wade (10-1), initially scheduled to face Taisumov in a lightweight clash, now takes on RFA 155-pound champion and TUF 22 alum Mehdi Baghdad (10-3). Wade is 3-0 in the UFC, while Baghdad makes his UFC debut riding a 7-fight finishing streak.
Francimar Barroso (17-4), originally booked against Edilov, will now face off against Elvis Mutapcic (15-3). "Bodao" hasn’t fought since a win over Ryan Jimmo in May, while Mutapcic withdrew from a middleweight bout with Anthony Smith at Victory FC to fight the Brazilian at 205 pounds in the Octagon.
UFC Fight Night 81 will be headlined by T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight championship.