Featherweight Bryce Mitchell will no longer fight Movsar Evloev in UFC 288 on Saturday in New Jersey due to a back injury, UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday.
Mitchell (15-1) was set to make his return to the Octagon after suffering his first career loss to Ilia Topuria via submission at UFC 282 in December.
Diego Lopes will step up on five days' notice to replace Mitchell.
The change in opponents marks the second time a fighter has withdrawn from the main card after Evloev was tabbed to replace Jonathan Pearce.
Lopes (20-5) is set to make his pay-per-view debut after appearing on "Dana White's Contender Series" in 2021. The Brazilian fighter recently competed in the LUX Fight League, where he scored a second-round TKO win over Angel Rodriguez last November.
Evloev (16-0) enters Saturday's card following two unanimous decision victories over Hakeem Dawodu and Dan Ige.
UFC 288 is set to be headlined by a bantamweight title match between Henry Cejudo and Aljamain Sterling.
