Marcelo Rojo replaces Raphael Assuncao to fight Raoni Barcelos at UFC Fight Night 186

A former Combate Americas standout has gotten his wish.

[autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] has gotten his wish.

Weeks after telling MMA Junkie he wanted to replace injured Raphael Assuncao at UFC Fight Night 186, Rojo (16-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been chosen to do just that. Verbal agreements are in place for him to fight [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag] at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The Feb. 27 fight will be contested at a 140-pound catchweight.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Barcelos later confirmed the news, as well, on his Instagram stories.

Rojo, 32, is a longtime Combate Americas standout. He has won three of his most recent four outings with the lone loss coming against UFC bantamweight John Castaneda.

Barcelos (16-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has slowly but surely marched his way up the ranks of the UFC’s bantamweight division. He has struggled to find matchups that hold up. Four of his past seven matchups have been canceled. A former RFA featherweight champion, Barcelos currently rides a nine-fight winning streak, including victories over Said Nurmagomedov, Chris Gutierrez, and Kurt Holobaugh.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 186 lineup includes:

  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Marcelo Rojo
  • William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield
  • Alexis Davis vs. Sabina Mazo
  • Randy Brown vs. Alex Oliveira
  • Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Nikita Krylov
  • Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Thiago Moises
  • Vince Cachero vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
  • Maxin Grishim vs. Dustin Jacoby

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UFC Fight Night 186 poster: Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane take center stage

Check out the official poster for UFC Fight Night 186, featuring Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane.

A new heavyweight contender will emerge on Feb. 27.

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 4-0- UFC) will headline UFC Fight Night 186 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, in a showcase between two of the division’s brightest contenders.

After going 4-0 in the UFC with a knockout of former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos in December, France’s Gane will headline his first UFC event. Rozenstruik is also coming off a stoppage win over dos Santos, rebounding nicely after suffering his first career loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 249 in May.

Check out the official poster for UFC Fight Night 186 below (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLSegGylgpi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The artwork in the green-background poster features an array of stars at the top and bottom, which is fitting in a matchup that pits two rising contenders with the potential to break through into title contention.

The latest UFC Fight Night 186 card includes:

  • Ciryl Gane vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. TBA
  • William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield
  • Alexis Davis vs. Sabina Mazo
  • Randy Brown vs. Alex Oliveira
  • Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Nikita Krylov
  • Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Thiago Moises
  • Vince Cachero vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
  • Maxim Grishin vs. Dustin Jacoby

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Sam Hughes vs. Emily Whitmire off UFC Fight Night 186

Sam Hughes vs. Emily Whitmire has been removed from UFC Fight Night 186 later this month.

UFC Fight Night 186 has lost a women’s strawweight bout.

A matchup between Sam Hughes and Emily Whitmire has been removed from the Feb. 27 card in Las Vegas after Whitmire was forced out of the bout due to undisclosed reasons. It has yet to be announced if the bout will be rescheduled for a later date or if the fight will be scrapped all together.

Hughes confirmed the news Sunday on her social media, following a report from Cage Side Press.

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Hughes (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was replacing Hannah Cifers on short notice to take on Whitmire. She is coming off a loss in December against Tecia Torres at UFC 256, which marked her promotional debut.

Whitmire (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has been submitted in back-to-back fights against Amanda Ribas and Polyana Viana. In her UFC tenure, Whitmire holds wins over Jamie Moyle and Aleksandra Albu.

With the cancellation, the UFC Fight Night 186 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD

  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. TBA
  • William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield
  • Alexis Davis vs. Sabina Mazo
  • Randy Brown vs. Alex Oliveira
  • Alex Caceres vs. Kevin Croom
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Nikita Krylov
  • Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Thiago Moises
  • Vince Cachero vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau

Marcelo Rojo offers to step in and face Raoni Barcelos at UFC Fight Night 186

With Raoni Barcelos needing an opponent for Feb. 27, Marcelo Rojo is more than willing to answer the call.

With [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag] needing an opponent for UFC Fight Night 186, [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] says he’s more than willing to answer the call and make his octagon debut on short notice.

Currently a free agent, the Combate Americas veteran is ready for a jump up in competition and says stepping in to face the surging UFC bantamweight contender would be the ideal way to introduce himself to the big stage.

Barcelos (16-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was originally scheduled to face Raphael Assuncao at the event, but now needs an opponent after Assuncao was forced out due to undisclosed reasons. With no word on Barcelos’ next opponent, Rojo (16-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) thinks he’d be the perfect replacement.

“I think we make a great matchup for entertainment,” Rojo told MMA Junkie. “We’re both aggressive fighters, and I think that’s gonna make it great. I came here to fight and that’s what you get when you are in a cage with me.”

The Argentine got a brief taste of the UFC in 2016 when he took part in Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.” Competing at lightweight during the show, Rojo made it to the semifinals before getting eliminated by Claudio Puelles. He subsequently joined Combate Americas and went 6-2 with the promotion, with all of his wins coming inside the distance.

Rojo, who currently trains at Entram gym in Tijuana, Mexico with the likes of UFC flyweight contender Brandon Moreno and Jose Quinonez, recently obtained his work visa for the U.S. and is hopeful that he can achieve his goal of competing in the octagon.

“Of course, being in the UFC is my dream since I started this beautiful sport,” Rojo said. “I’m training hard and learning every day trying to make it a reality. I hope I get a chance to prove it.”