Tito Out, Davis in for Seattle Main Event

Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced that unbeaten light heavyweight star Phil Davis will fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the main event of UFC®Fight Night™ Live on March 26 from KeyArena in Seattle. The 8-0 fighter from Harrisburg, Pa. replaces Tito Ortiz, who was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

UFC®Fight Night™ Live will be broadcast on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

“Phil Davis is an absolute beast,” UFC President Dana White said. “He is undefeated at 8-0 and has gotten better every time he’s fought in the UFC. He jumped at this opportunity to take on a top 10 fighter and legend like Lil’ Nog. Phil is one of our best up-and-coming fighters and he’s excited to step up and take this fight.”
 
A feared Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and former Pan American Games bronze medalist in boxing, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (fighting out of Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil/19-4) possesses one of the most dangerous arsenals in all of mixed martial arts. Since launching his career in Japan in 2001, “Lil Nog” has scored wins over Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson and Vladimir Matyushenko. Nogueira, whose twin brother “Minotauro” is a top contender in the UFC heavyweight division, has since made an immediate impact in the UFC with wins over Luiz Cane and Jason Brilz.

He now takes on the dynamic Phil Davis (fighting out of San Diego, Calif. /8-0). Nicknamed “Mr. Wonderful,” the 26-year-old native Pennsylvanian has reeled off four consecutive wins to start his UFC career. The four-time All-American wrestler from Penn State University is coming off an impressive submission win over Tim Boetsch in his last fight in November. Considered one of the top rising stars in the UFC light heavyweight division, Davis faces the toughest test of his career when he meets Lil’ Nog in Seattle.

UFC®Fight Night™ Live also features exciting welterweight battles pitting Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson and Duane Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah, as well as the highly-anticipated rematch between featherweights Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan.Tickets are on sale now.