Montreal lightweight John (The Bull) Makdessi will replace the injured Khabib Nurmagomedov against Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone at UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas.
Cerrone (27-6 with one no contest) is ranked No. 3 among 155-pound contenders and has won seven straight in the UFC.
Makdessi (12-3) is coming off a first-round knockout of Shane Campbell at UFC 186 in Montreal.
Nurmagomedov (22-0) has won six in a row in the UFC.
The unbeaten Russian, who reportedly has a knee injury, is ranked No. 2 among lightweight contenders.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.