Jonathan Pearce has a new opponent for this Saturday.
Pearce was originally slated to face Austin Lingo in a featherweight bout at UFC Vegas 48, however, Lingo was forced out of the bout last week due to an undisclosed injury. Pearce will instead face Christian Rodriguez in the prelim bout.
An undefeated prospect fighting out of the Roufusport Academy, Rodriguez (6-0) competed on week seven of Dana White‘s Contender Series in 2021, scoring a unanimous decision win over Junior Cortez. Unfortunately, Rodriguez missed weight for the bantamweight bout by two pounds and thus was not awarded a UFC contract. Rodriguez is now set to take on Pearce in the UFC.
Pearce (11-4) entered the UFC in 2019 after knocking out Jacob Rosales on the Contender Series. Arizona-based Omar Morales submitted Omar Morales in the second round at UFC . However, he lost his UFC debut against Joe Lauzon in a lightweight bout.
This Saturday, the UFC Vegas 48 will take place in Las Vegas.
MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck contributed this report.
