Rosas Jr Steps In to Face Covington After Danis Withdraws From Rome Showdown

UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr has replaced Dillon Danis as Colby Covington's opponent in Tuesday's HYPE Fighting main event in Rome, a 10-minute submission-only grappling contest.

Rosas Jr Steps In to Face Covington After Danis Withdraws From Rome Showdown

Raul Rosas Jr will face Colby Covington in Rome on Tuesday after Dillon Danis withdrew from the HYPE Fighting main event. The two Americans had been scheduled to meet in a submission-only grappling contest, but Danis pulled out and HYPE Fighting CEO Armand Martirosian announced the change at Sunday's press conference, with Rosas Jr volunteering to take the bout. No official reason has been confirmed for Danis's withdrawal. The contest, which takes place at the PalaPellicone in Rome and streams on YouTube from 1:00 p.m. ET, will run for 10 minutes with victory only possible by submission. Covington is a former interim UFC welterweight champion, while Rosas Jr competes in the UFC's bantamweight division, making the grappling match-up an unusual cross-division pairing. The rest of the card is built around bare-knuckle boxing bouts, including Francesco Morandi against Ali Heibati and Baki against Theo Saget. Rosas Jr's late call-up rescues the headline bout of an event that had been built around the Danis-Covington rivalry, and gives the young UFC star a high-profile stage in front of a European audience.