Disaster has struck the upcoming UFC Minneapolis card, as former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has been forced out of his main event rematch with Robbie Lawler. The cause of his withdrawal is a hand injury, per ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto.
BREAKING: Tyron Woodley has been forced to withdraw from his June 29 bout against Robbie Lawler due to injury, per sources. UFC looking for a replacement to keep Lawler on the card in Minneapolis. More info coming soon to @ESPN.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 17, 2019
“Tyron Woodley has been forced to withdraw from his June 29 bout against Robbie Lawler due to injury, per sources,” Okamoto wrote on Twitter. “UFC looking for a replacement to keep Lawler on the card in Minneapolis.”
Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler have met once previously, in July of 2016. On that night, Woodley knocked Lawler out in the first round to capture the UFC welterweight strap.
Since that fight, Woodley embarked on an impressive reign as UFC welterweight champion, defending the title four times, against Stephen Thompson (twice), Demian Maia and Darren Till. He eventually surrendered the title to Kamaru Usman, losing a unanimous decision.
Lawler, on the other hand, has been more inactive. He’s fought three times since he lost the title, defeating Donald Cerrone by decision, and coming up short against Rafael dos Anjos and Ben Askren.
As Okamoto reports, the UFC is working on finding a replacement opponent for the former champ Woodley in an effort to keep Lawler on the card. Stay tuned for updates on that.
UFC Minneapolis, which will air on ESPN, goes down on June 29.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/16/2019.