Sorry Irish fans, Conor McGregor will not be facing Diego Sanchez on the upcoming UFC 180 in Mexico.

On Friday, the UFC announced Joe Lauzon will replace injured Norman Parke against fellow UFC veteran Diego Sanchez on the November fight card. This news comes days after McGregor teased a matchup with Sanchez, even before the severity of Parke’s injury was revealed.

Lauzon (24-9), a cast member on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, is coming of a second round TKO victory over TUF 15 winner Michael Chiesa at UFC Fight Night 50 in September. He was awarded yet another Fight of the Night for his performance, giving him a UFC record 13 post fight bonuses. Prior to this win the Massachusetts native earned a unanimous decision victory over TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig at UFC on FOX 9 last December.

Sanchez (25-7), winner of season one of the TUF, is coming off a very controversial decision win over Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night 42 in June. Prior to this win, “The Nightmare” dropped back-to-back decision losses to Gilbert Melendez and Myles Jury.

UFC 181 is currently scheduled to be held on November 15 at the Arena Ciudad de México. A heavyweight championship fight between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum is set to headline the event. The prelims for the card will feature the finale of  The Ultimate Fighter Latin America featherweight and bantamweight tournaments. The series, which started airing August 20, is currently airing in Latin America on Televisa. Fans outside of Latin America can watch the inaugural season on UFC Fight Pass.

Here’s how the rest of the card is shaping up:

  • UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez (13-1) vs. Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1)
  • Kelvin Gastelum (9-0) vs. Jake Ellenberger (29-8)
  • Diego Sanchez (25-7) vs. Joe Lauzon (24-9)
  • Ricardo Lamas (14-3) vs. Dennis Bermudez (14-3)
  • Erik Perez (14-6) vs. Marcus Brimage (603)
  • Jessica Eye (10-2 )vs. Leslie Smith (7-5-1)
  • Edgar Garcia (14-3) vs. Hector Urbina (16-8-1)
  • Augusto Montano (13-1) vs. TBA
  • TBA vs. TBA – TUF: Latin America Featherweight finale
  • TBA vs. TBA – TUF: Latin America Bantamweight finale

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.