Forrest Griffin has had to withdraw from his scheduled light heavyweight bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The two were set to co-main event UFC 114 on May 29 in Las Vegas. A grudge match between former light heavyweight champions and “Ultimate Fighter” coaches Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson heads the fight card.
MMAWeekly.com confirmed with sources close to the fighter’s camp that Griffin injured his shoulder and had to withdraw from the fight. TMZ.com was the first to report his exit.
Griffin was hoping to build on a split decision victory over Tito Ortiz last November, which followed the first back-to-back losses of his career.
Nogueira is hoping to make his return at UFC 114 after having to withdraw from a fight against Brandon Vera at UFC 109 due to an ankle injury. He is on a six-fight winning streak, including his debut at UFC 106, where he TKO’d Luiz Cane.
Sources told MMAWeekly.com that no replacement had been found as of the time of publication.
UFC 114 is scheduled for Memorial weekend, when the UFC will also hold its second annual UFC Fan Expo. The fights will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 29, the expo at Mandalay Bay Convention Center on May 28 and 29.
