UFC lightweight title contender Donald Cerrone will now face John Makdessi at UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas, following an injury to his originally scheduled opponent, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Officials confirmed the new 155-pound matchup to ESPN.com on Thursday. The bout will take place on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 187, which will take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Sources had told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Nurmagomedov (22-0) likely had been forced off the card due to an undisclosed injury. That bout had been expected to determine the next No. 1 contender in the lightweight division.
Makdessi (13-3) steps in on less than four weeks' notice. The 29-year-old Canadian is coming off a first-round TKO finish against Shane Campbell at UFC 186 last weekend in Montreal. Fighting out of Tristar Gym, Makdessi is 6-3 in the UFC, with three knockouts.
Cerrone (27-6) is looking to extend a seven-fight winning streak. He collected two wins in a 15-day span earlier this year in January, defeating Myles Jury and Benson Henderson via unanimous decision on Jan. 3 and Jan. 18, respectively. A former WEC title contender, Cerrone hasn't suffered a loss since August 2013 and holds notable wins against Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez, Jury and Henderson during that time.
A fight for the vacant light heavyweight championship between Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier is currently scheduled to headline UFC 187.
