The UFC has announced a late replacement for the upcoming UFC 290 event, which will take place on July 8th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bo Nickal was originally scheduled to fight Tresean Gore, but Gore has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. The UFC has now announced that Nickal will instead face Valentine Woodburn.

Nickal is a highly-touted prospect in the UFC middleweight division, with a 4-0 record in his professional MMA career. He won his UFC debut earlier this year and was scheduled to fight Gore at UFC 290. Woodburn, on the other hand, is a relative unknown in the MMA world, with a 7-0 undefeated record in his professional career.

While Nickal is the heavy favorite heading into the fight, Woodburn could prove to be a tough opponent. He has won five of his seven fights by TKO and has shown a willingness to stand and trade with his opponents.

The fight between Bo Nickal and Woodburn will be part of the UFC 290 preliminary card, which will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+. The main card of the event will be headlined by a featherweight title unifier between champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez. The co-main event will see UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno attempt to avenge prior losses to challenger Alexandre Pantoja.

Other fighters on the main card include Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis. The main card will also feature the retirement fight of a beloved veteran Robbie Lawler as he takes on Niko Price. As the preliminary card will feature fighters like Jack Della Maddalena, and Yazmin Jauregui and Denise Gomes, among others.

The UFC 290 event promises to be an exciting night of fights, with some of the top fighters in the world competing for titles and bragging rights. While Nickal vs. Woodburn may not be the most high-profile fight on the card, it could still provide some fireworks and surprises. Fans of MMA will not want to miss this event.