Bharat Khandare has been forced to pull out of UFC 227 due to injuries and MMA Junkie is reporting that Marlon Vera will replace him to fight Wuliji Buren on short notice.
Vera (10-5-1) enters the contest while riding a two fight losing streak, having dropped bouts to the duo of John Lineker and Douglas Silva De Andrade. Vera hasn't picked up a win in over a year, with his last victory coming over Brian Kelleher at UFC On Fox 25. Vera has suffered a total of five losses as a professional MMA fighter and all of those defeats have come by way of decision.
Buren (9-4-0) is currently winless under the UFC banner, having dropped a bout to Rolando Dy via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night Shanghai. Buren also won the Chinese Kung Fu Championships Bantamweight Tournament in 2014, winning a total of three fights in six days, with two wins coming by submission. Buren is also going to be competing in North America for the first time in his professional MMA career, which has already lasted over four years.
UFC 227 takes place on Saturday, August 4 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California with TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
