Iaquinta pulls out; Vick steps in to face Gaethje in UFC Lincoln

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Bengaluru, June 28: UFC lightweight contender Al Iaquinta has pulled out of his bout against No. 7-ranked Justin Gaethje which was scheduled for UFC Fight Night 135 at Lincoln, Nebraska on August 25.

After initial reports from ESPN that Iaquinta has chosen to withdraw from the Lincoln headliner opposite Gaethje, the promotion officially announced on Thursday (June 28) that No. 11-ranked James Vick will be stepping in for Iaquinta to fight Gaethje.

Iaquinta made it known on Wednesday (June 27) that he would not be fighting Gaethje and he criticized the former World Series of Fighting champion's career choices.

The pair even had a few exchanges on twitter before the news was officially confirmed.

Meanwhile, Vick was originally scheduled to fight Paul Felder at UFC Boise on July 14 and it is currently unknown if a new opponent will be found for Felder for next month's event. However, as the event is fast approaching, we will know more about this soon.

Vick is currently riding a four-fight win streak and has won 13 of his 14 professional fights. While, Gaethje is fresh from a TKO loss to Dustin Porier which he suffered two months ago at UFC on FOX 29.

If the long-standing personal feud between them is any indication, Gaethje vs. Vick has all the makings of a 'Fight of the Night' contender as the two powerhouses meet in the five-round main event at Pinnacle Bank Arena in August.

(With inputs from MMA Fighting)