Background
As a result of the cancellation of UFC 151, bouts between Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo, Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez[3]
and Dennis Siver vs. Eddie Yagin were rescheduled for this event.[4]
Rafaello Oliveira was expected to face Michael Chiesa at the event. However, Oliveira was forced out of the bout with a broken hand, and replaced by Marcus LeVesseur.[5] Then, the week of the event, Chiesa was forced out of the bout with LeVesseur with an undisclosed illness and the bout was scrapped altogether.[6] Also, on the day of the weigh-ins for the event, Tim Means was forced from his bout with Abel Trujillo after sustaining a head injury caused by a fall in a hotel sauna. LeVesseur replaced Means in the bout.[7]
T.J. Dillashaw was scheduled to fight Mike Easton in the preliminary card. However, an injury sidelined Dillashaw, who was forced out of the bout and replaced by Bryan Caraway.[8] Then, on November 21, it was announced that Caraway was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Raphael Assunção.[9]
Eddie Yagin was expected to face Dennis Siver at this event. However, Yagin was forced out of the bout due to a sparring injury that landed him in the hospital with swelling around his brain, and was replaced by Nam Phan.[10]
John Cholish was expected to face Yves Edwards at the event. However, Cholish was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens.[11]
Lavar Johnson was scheduled to face Brendan Schaub at the event. However, Johnson was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and Schaub was pulled from the card altogether.[12]
At the weigh-ins, Henry Martinez came in heavy weighing in at 158.8 lb. Martinez was given two hours to cut to the lightweight maximum of 156 pounds, but he elected instead to surrender a percentage of his fight purse to his opponent Daron Cruickshank.[13]
At the pre-weigh-in press conference, UFC, as part of merging Strikeforce champions into the UFC, officially named Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey the women's bantamweight champion and presented her with a belt.[14][15]
