Add another to the already long line of UFC 133 casualties. Light heavyweight veteran Vladimir Matyushenko has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against Alexander Gustafsson (11-1, 3-1 UFC) at the August 6th event due to an undisclosed injury, according to Thursday night reports. "The Ultimate Fighter 3" alum Matt Hamill (10-3, 9-3 UFC) has been tapped as a late replacement.
The announcement is just another addition to the laundry list of UFC 133 complications. Headliner Phil Davis withdrew from the card's main event Tuesday night, kicking off a mad scramble to find a suitable replacement.
Amusingly, UFC president Dana White mentioned Thursday that Matyushenko was his "Plan D" to fill the vacant headlining spot, had Tito Ortiz not changed his mind. Given the circumstances, it appears as if the promotion dodged a major bullet. Having the 40-year old Belarusian claim the opening, only to get injured in training hours later, may have led to White's abrupt spontaneous combustion, Spinal Tap-style.
The fight is the first for Hamill since a decision loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 130. Although, that fight also came on late notice. Before the loss, the 34-year old stormed through a five fight win streak that included a vicious head kick knockout of Mark Munoz and a unanimous decision victory over Tito Ortiz.
It hasn't yet been announced whether Hamill's bout against Gustafsson will remain televised on the Spike TV undercard, as was previously planned. However, given the immense popularity and name-recognition of the American, all signs point to the UFC maintaining the continuity of the broadcast schedule.