Devonte Smith will get a change in opponent just a week out from UFC 272.
Erick Gonzalez has been forced out and Ludovit Klein (17-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will step in on short notice to face Smith (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) next Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Smith confirmed the booking on social media Thursday following an initial report from Eurosport Nederland.
Smith has split his past four appearances. After returning from an almost two-year layoff in February 2021 to score a TKO over Justin Jaynes, the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate was stopped in the second round by Jamie Mullarkey at UFC Fight Night 193.
Klein also will look to rebound. After scoring a head kick knockout of Shane Young in his promotional debut at UFC 253, the 27-year-old saw his eight-fight winning streak snapped when he dropped back-to-back bouts to Mike Trizano and, most recently, Nate Landwehr.
The current lineup for UFC 272 includes:
- Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal – five-round fight
- Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev – five-round fight
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell
- Greg Hardy vs. Serghei Spivac
- Ludovit Klein vs. Devonte Smith
- Mariya Agapova vs. Maryna Moroz
- Jamie Mullarkey vs. Jalin Turner
- Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Ihor Potieria
- Kevin Holland vs. Alex Oliveira
- Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot
- Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Brian Kelleher vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
