It looks like one of Arizona’s favorite fighting sons is in need of a new opponent.

On Thursday, it was revealed John Moraga’s scheduled opponent, Jussier ‘Formiga’ da Silva, has been forced to pull out of their UFC on FOX 13 flyweight bout after suffering an injury in training camp. MMAjunkie was the first to report the news.

Formiga (17-3), a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, is coming off a unanimous decision over Zach Mackovsky at UFC Fight Night 47 in August. Prior to this win, he earned a controversial submission win over MMA veteran Scott Jorgenson back in March. Formiga will enter this bout with eight career submission wins and a UFC record of 3-2.

Moraga (15-3), a former 125-pound title contender, was last seen locking on a very tight second round guillotine over the highly touted Justin Scoggins at UFC Fight Night 50 earlier this month. Prior to this victory, the former Arizona State University wrestler suffered a second round TKO loss to Jon Dodson at UFC Fight Night 42 in June. He will enter this bout with nine career stoppage victories, including seven submissions, and a UFC record of 4-2.

As of this post, the UFC has not found Moraga a new opponent.

UFC on FOX 13 is scheduled to take place on Dec. 13 at the U.S. Airway Center in Moraga’s hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. A heavyweight matchup between former champion Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic will serve as the night’s main event.

Here’s how the UFC on FOX 13 card is shaping up:

 

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.