With Calvin Kattar out, Steve Garcia steps in to face Kyle Nelson at UFC Vegas 97

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Fresh off his latest finish, Steve Garcia returns to action on short notice for a fight against Kyle Nelson at UFC Vegas 97, which takes place on Sept. 7 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Garcia replaces veteran featherweight Calvin Kattar, who was forced off the card for undisclosed reasons. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting with bout agreements issued for the new matchup.

With four straight finishes on his resume, Garcia has quickly become must see TV whenever he fights with his last victory coming in stunning fashion over Seung Woo Choi in July, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus. Overall, Garcia sports a 5-2 record in the UFC with all five of his wins coming by knockout.

As for Nelson, he comes into the fight off three wins in a row including his first-round knockout over Bill Algeo back in March. Nelson faced some struggles when he first arrived in the UFC but he got his footing under him to finally rattle off a trio of wins in his most recent performances.

Nelson vs. Garcia joins a lineup headlined by one-time welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns clashing with noted grappler Sean Brady in the five-round main event.