Unbeaten prospect Gabriel Santos to replace Nathaniel Wood vs. Lerone Murphy at UFC 286
Undefeated featherweight Gabriel Santos is stepping in on days’ notice to replace Nathaniel Wood against Lerone Murphy in his octagon debut at UFC 286 on March 18, multiple people with knowledge of the news told MMA Fighting following a report by Eurosport.
UFC 286 takes place at O2 Arena in London and airs live on ESPN+ pay-per-view, headlined by the trilogy clash between welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.
Santos (10-0) knocked out fellow Brazilian prospect Jose Delano in his most recent bout this past January to capture the LFA 145-pound title. “Mosquitinho” also holds a win over Elves Brener, who recently beat Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 284.
Murphy (11-0-1) has won his past three in the UFC since a split draw against Tukhugov in his debut, knocking out Ricardo Ramos and Makwan Amirkhani, with a decision victory against Douglas Silva de Andrade in between.
Check the updated UFC 286 line-up below.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Justin Gaethje
Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina
Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena
Gabriel Santos vs. Lerone Murphy
Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Julianna Miller vs. Veronica Macedo
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jafel Filho
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Dusko Todorovic
Sam Patterson vs. Yanal Ashmoz
Casey O’Neill vs. Jennifer Maia
Jake Hadley vs. Malcolm Gordon
Mike Heck contributed to this report.