Gilbert Melendez to face Al Iaquinta on July 15

Earlier this week, injury forced Bobby Green out of his July 15 bout with Al Iaquinta. The bout had been scheduled to take place at UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee in San Diego next month.

When questioned regarding possible replacements, Iaquinta stated that Gilbert Melendez, Dustin Poirier and Efrain Escudero “would be good fights”. It has since been reported that Iaquinta will be granted his wish, as Gilbert Melendez has stepped in to replace Green.

Melendez (22-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC), who dropped a split decision to Eddie Alvarez just last weekend, has now lost three of his last four fights and will be eager to get back in the win column. ‘El Nino’ lost a split decision to former champion Ben Henderson in his Octagon debut and was submitted by Anthony Pettis at UFC 181. To date, his sole victory in the UFC came in his Fight of the Night performance against Diego Sanchez in 2013.

Iaquinta (12-3-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC), meanwhile, is on a four-fight streak. He is already 2-0 in 2015 with an impressive TKO victory over Joe Lauzon in January and a somewhat controversial split decision win over Jorge Masvidal in April. A victory over Melendez next month would set Iaquinta up for an incredible year and earn him a spot as a top contender in the division.

UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee takes place on July 15 at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

The official fight card now includes the following match-ups:

Heavyweight: Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee
Lightweight: Josh Thomson vs. Tony Ferguson
Women’s Bantamweight: Holly Holm vs. Marion Reneau
Lightweight: Kevin Lee vs. James Moontasri
Welterweight: Alan Jouban vs. Matt Dwyer
Featherweight: Sam Sicilia vs. Doo Ho Choi
Women’s Bantamweight: Jéssica Andrade vs. Sarah Moras
Bantamweight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Manvel Gamburyan
Welterweight: Igor Araújo vs. Sean Strickland
Middleweight: Kevin Casey vs. Ildemar Alcântara
Welterweight: Andrew Craig vs. Edgar Garcia
Lightweight: Gilbert Melendez vs. Al Iaquinta