Brunson Out; 'Marreta' to Face Mousasi at UFC 200

With Derek Brunson forced to withdraw from his UFC 200 bout against Gegard Mousasi, Brazilian bomber Thiago "Marreta" Santos will step up to the plate on July 9 to face the No. 8-ranked middleweight contender on the biggest card of 2016.

UFC 200, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is headlined by the UFC light heavyweight title fight rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. Plus, Brock Lesnar returns to battle Mark Hunt, the interim featherweight title will be on the line in another highly-anticipated return bout, as Jose Aldo faces Frankie Edgar, and Miesha Tate puts her UFC women's bantamweight crown on the line against Brazil's Amanda Nunes.

Currently ranked 14th at 185 pounds, Santos has been a major threat in the middleweight division, winning four in a row, including knockouts of Andy Enz, Steve Bosse and Nate Marquardt, the most recent victory over "Nate The Great" coming last month in Curitiba. On July 9, he will face one of the most respected veterans in the sport in the Netherlands' Mousasi, a versatile contender who has won three of his last four, including a February decision over Thales Leites.