Garza steps up on short notice to face Chinese sensation
Jason Reinhardt is out of his fight with Tiequan Zhang and will be replaced by TUF 12 hopeful Pablo Garza on Thursday’s WEC 51 event in Colorado.
Reinhardt failed an eye exam and will not be allowed to fight.
Garza was one of the 28 contestants on the initial episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” but lost his qualifying match to Michael Johnson. Garza is undefeated through seven fights in his MMA career.
Zhang (16-0) is the first Chinese fighter to compete under the Zuffa banner, and promotion officials have high hopes for his success. He was initially scheduled to face Alex Karalexis, but an injury forced Karalexis out of the fight. Reinhardt stepped up on short notice.
WEC 51 takes place Thursday and will be televised on Versus. It features a main event title clash between featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Manny Gamburyan. Stay tuned to HeavyMMA.com for live coverage from the event.
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