The UFC has apparently found a backup plan in Urijah Faber after Song Yadong reportedly experienced visa issues, according to ESPN.
Faber weighed in on Friday morning at the last minute, surprising many people who were confused as to his place in tomorrow’s UFC on ESPN 8 event. Yadong trains under Faber at Team Alpha Male, and while all involved parties are still trying to find a way to ensure that Yadong can fight against Marlon Vera, Faber dropped a few pounds and weighed in for the fight as a precaution. The nature of the visa issues hasn’t been made public at this time.
.@UrijahFaber. Weighing in. At lightweight.
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) May 15, 2020
FROM OUT OF NOWHERE.#UFCFL | Full weigh-in results: https://t.co/BlIc6ZBGgv pic.twitter.com/LhPNYYUpbT
Faber released a statement to ESPN explaining what had happened:
“Song was supposed to be cleared, but they were having last minute visa issues. So there were a bunch of wild scenarios being thrown around. Jets to other countries etc. to get issues cleared. I told UFC worst-case scenario I would be out there and could step in. So everything was all good to go, and then something came up. There was a scramble and a panic last night, so I cut some weight to get under 155 to possibly be a last-minute replacement. Sounds like it is resolved, but I’m cleared to fight just in case.“
While it seems like we’ll be able to see Vera vs. Yadong as planned, it’s not every day that a UFC Hall of Famer voluntarily steps in to replace a fighter at the very last minute.
UFC on ESPN 8 will take place tomorrow.
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