Former TUF Smashes competitor Manuel Rodriguez has been forced out of his Australian Fighting Championships (AFC) 8 fight against American fighter J.J. Ambrose due to injury.
AFC officials confirmed the news to Fight News Australia, stating that the Sydney based fighter had injured his ankle.
It is a bitter blow for Rodriguez who was looking at rebounding from three consecutive losses. In his most recent outing, Rodriguez went up in weight divisions but was defeated by Steven Kennedy in the fourth round at AFC 7.
With the injury, former Bellator MMA fighter J.J Ambrose is unlikely to stay on the card.
The event will be headlined by former UFC fighter Bernardo Magalhaes who faces local Victorian favourite Nick “Banjo” Patterson. Also on the card, Corey Nelson will look to continue his fine form when he faces Rick Alchin.