‘Big Nog’ out, Shawn Jordan in against Cheick Kongo at UFC 149

With lingering effects from nearly having his arm ripped off at UFC 140 by Frank Mir, and a subsequent shoulder surgery, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has had to pull out of his July 21st scheduled bout with Cheick Kongo at UFC 149.

Stepping in for “Big Nog” and filling some of the division’s biggest shoes will be former Louisiana State football standout Shawn Jordan (13-3), who made a successful UFC debut in March with a second round TKO win over Oli Thompson at UFC on FX 2.

The UFC confirmed “Big Nog’s” replacement late Saturday.

Jordan is one of the fighters to transition to the UFC after Strikeforce shut down their heavyweight division. Prior to his win over Thompson, Jordan submitted Lavar Johnson at Strikeforce Challengers in September 2011. He has won four of his last five bouts.

After putting together consecutive victories over Paul Buentello, Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry (and a draw with Travis Browne), Kongo (17-7-2) suffered a quick first round TKO at the hands of Mark Hunt at UFC 144 in February. A loss to Jordan would be a huge setback for the UFC veteran.

UFC 149 is scheduled for July 21 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, and is headlined with a bantamweight match-up between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao. See ProMMAnow.com’s Upcoming MMA Events page for the full line-up.