Frans Mlambo is out of his planned Combate Global main event fight.
Mlambo was scheduled to challenge David Martinez for the bantamweight belt on Sunday, May 29. Instead, Arturo Vergara will step in and meet Martinez in a non-title fight.
Vergara is 2-0 in mixed martial arts and also 3-1 in kickboxing. The hard-hitting native of Chile will be meeting Martinez, who is 6-1 overall.
“We wish Frans a full and speedy recovery,” said Combate Global CEO Campbell McLaren, “and are excited to debut Chile’s Arturo Vergara, who is coming off an incredible, nine-second knockout! I have a lot of respect for Arturo stepping up because David Martinez is as tough an opponent as they come.”
Vergara knocked out Cody Schieve in just nine seconds with a flying knee in May. He also has recorded over 80 amateur kickboxing fights in his career.
Martinez will be competing for the first time since winning the Combate Global bantamweight title in 2021. The 23-year-old Mexico City native downed Francisco Rivera with a second round TKO finish for the belt. He won a one-night tournament, claiming three consecutive victories.