Ed Herman steps in for injured James Irvin, will face Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102

**rajuB4U** · #1 08-06-2009

Ed Herman steps in for injured James Irvin, will face Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102 in August

y John Morgan on Aug 06, 2009 at 3:50 pm ET
With James Irvin once again forced to bow out of a middleweight contest with a knee injury, Ed Herman (15-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has agreed to step in as a replacement.

Herman will now face Wilson Gouveia (12-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on the preliminary card of "UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira" on Aug. 29 in Portland, Ore.

Sherdog.com was the first to report the potential change, has since confirmed both Herman and Gouveia have agreed to the contest, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.

Herman had been expected to face Aaron Simpson at UFC Fight Night 19 in September. While the bout is still listed on the UFC's official website, it will undoubtedly be scrapped in favor of the UFC 102 bout.

Herman fought most recently in April, earning a unanimous-decision win over David Loiseau at UFC 97. The victory snapped a two-fight win streak for the "TUF 3" finalist.

Gouveia will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing third-round TKO loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC 95 in February. The American Top Team product had earned back-to-back victories before the loss to Marquardt.

A firm timeframe for Irvin's return has not yet been established.

With the adjustment to the card, UFC 102 now includes:

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