UFC welterweight Tyron Woodley's first opportunity to put a deflating loss to Rory MacDonald earlier this month behind him will come in August.
An undisclosed injury has forced Hector Lombard to withdraw from a planned bout against Dong Hyun Kim at a UFC Fight Night event on Aug. 23 in Macau, China. Woodley has agreed to replace Lombard on the card.
UFC president Dana White announced the switch late Monday evening via Twitter.
Just let Dong Hyun Kim officially know that Lombard is out injured and Woodley is in for #ufcmacao... http://t.co/I7jmzl6yVH
- Dana White (@danawhite) June 24, 2014
Woodley (13-3) kicked off the year with a second-round finish over Carlos Condit at UFC 171, which elevated him into the welterweight title picture.
A lackluster showing in a lopsided decision loss to MacDonald at UFC 174, however, has tabled Woodley's title aspirations for the near future. The former collegiate wrestler is 3-2 overall in the UFC.
Kim (19-2-1) will ride a four-fight win streak into the 170-pound contest. The South Korean fighter has posted back-to-back finishes over John Hathaway and Erick Silva, claiming performance bonuses in each.
Lombard (34-4-1), meanwhile, will have to wait to build on the momentum of a two-fight win streak. The 36-year-old has been dominant since dropping to welterweight in 2013, earning wins over Nate Marquardt and Jake Shields.
A middleweight bout between Michael Bisping and Cung Le will headline the UFC Fight Night, which takes place at CotaiArena.
