Trevin Jones will still get to compete on the upcoming blockbuster pay-per-view card.
Randy Costa has been forced to withdraw from UFC 259 on March 6 and Mario Bautista (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will step in to face Jones (12-6 MMA, 0-0-1 UFC).
Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the matchup, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 259 takes place Saturday, March 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
In his promotional debut, Jones (12-6 MMA, 0-0-1 UFC) mounted an incredible comeback when he finished Timur Valiev in the second round at UFC on ESPN 15 this past August. However, the Nevada Athletic Commission overturned Jones’ win to a no contest after he tested positive for marijuana.
Since dropping his UFC debut to bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen in January 2019, Bautista has notched back-to-back bonuses in a “Fight of the Night” win over Jin Soo Son and, most recently, a flying knee finish of Miles Johns at UFC 247.
With the change, the UFC 259 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya – for light heavyweight title
- Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson
- Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Drew Dober vs. Islam Makhachev
- Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)
- Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney
- Kyler Phillips vs. Song Yadong
- Askar Askarov vs. Joseph Benavidez
- Amanda Lemos vs. Livinha Souza
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)
- Sean Brady vs. Jake Matthews
- Mario Bautista vs. Trevin Jones
- Aalon Cruz vs. Uros Medic
- Tim Elliott vs. Jordan Espinosa
- Rogerio Bontorin vs. Kai Kara-France
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Carlos Ulberg
