It didn’t take long for the UFC to find John Phillips a replacement opponent.
With Dusko Todorovic out, the UFC is now targeting Khamzat Chimaev to fight Phillips (22-9 MMA, 1-3 UFC) on July 15. UFC on ESPN 13 takes place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi as part of the promotion’s stretch of four “Fight Island” events in 15 days.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie on Wednesday, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Russian MMA reporter Igor Lazorin was the first to report the news.
Chimaev (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is one of Europe’s top welterweight prospects. Moving up to middleweight for his promotional debut, Chimaev will look to keep his six-fight finishing streak alive. Chimaev was supposed to challenge for the Brave CF title in April in Stockholm, Sweden, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Phillips, a veteran of the European regional scene, started his UFC run with a disappointing three-fight losing streak. However, he earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus after picking up his first UFC win, when he knocked out Alen Amedovski in just 14 seconds in September.
With the change, the latest UFC on ESPN 13 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
- Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
- Frankie Edgar vs. opponent TBA
- Jimmie Rivera vs. Cody Stamann
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Mounir Lazzez
- Chris Fishgold vs. Jared Gordon
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vinicius Moreira
- Molly McCann vs. Taila Santos
- Lerone Murphy vs. Ricardo Ramos
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. John Phillips
- Ryan Benoit vs. Tim Elliott
- Diana Belbita vs. Liana Jojua
- Aaron Phillips vs. Jack Shore
