Tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 event has endured a last minute change as Kevin Natividad has been forced to pull out of his slated main card bout with Brian Kelleher.

No reason for Natividad’s late removal from the fight card has been given as of this time.

Thankfully Brian Kelleher will still be able to compete at tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 event. According to a report from MMAFighting, “Boom” will now take on Octagon newcomer Ray Rodriguez, who weighed in on Friday as a potential replacement.

Rodriguez will make his UFC debut having won three of his past four fights. The former Contender Series combatant is coming off a third round submission victory in his latest fight at Combate Americas 49 this past November.

Meanwhile, Brian Kelleher will enter UFC Vegas 9 looking to rebound from his recent loss to Cody Stamann at June’s UFC 250 event. Prior to the setback, “Boom” was riding a two-fight win streak scoring stoppage victories over Hunter Azure and Ode Osbourne.

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 event is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between MMA legend Alistair Overeem and surging contender Augusto Sakai. The fight card is set to begin with the early prelims starting at 6pm est.

Stay glued to this website for all of tonight’s UFC Vegas 9 results and highlights.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on September 5, 2020