Charles Oliveira Replaces Al Iaquinta, Meets Paul Felder at UFC 218 in Detroit

Al Iaquinta has withdrawn from a proposed lightweight bout against Paul Felder at UFC 218 and will be replaced by Charles Oliveira.

Multiple outlets have confirmed the change following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. The UFC has not yet announced the new pairing. UFC 218 takes place at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit on Dec. 2 and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar.

Oliveira halted a two-fight skid with a first-round submission of former Bellator champ Will Brooks in his most recent outing at UFC 210 on April 8. The 28-year-old Brazilian is 10-7 with one no contest during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Felder, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Irish Dragon” scored a first-round knockout of Steven Ray at UFC Fight Night 113.