An undisclosed injury to John Hathaway has forced a welterweight shakeup at UFC 189 on July 11 in Las Vegas.
Hathaway's original opponent, Gunnar Nelson (13-1-1) will now face Brandon Thatch (11-2), who was already scheduled to fight John Howard at UFC 189, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Howard (22-11) has received a new opponent in Irishman Cathal Pendred (17-2-1), who is coming off a unanimous decision win against Augusto Montano at UFC 188 on June 13 in Mexico City.
Nelson hasn't fought since suffering the first loss of his career in October, a five-round split decision to Rick Story. The 26-year-old welterweight hails from SBG Ireland, the same camp to Pendred and featherweight title contender Conor McGregor.
Thatch is also coming off a loss in his last fight. The Denver-based welterweight suffered fourth-round submission loss to former lightweight champion Benson Henderson on Feb. 14. The loss snapped a 10-fight win streak for Thatch.
Hathaway (17-2) has struggled to stay healthy throughout his UFC career. The 27-year-old hasn't fought since March 2014 and missed all of 2013 due to injury. He is 7-2 all-time in the Octagon.
A featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo (25-1) and McGregor (17-2) is currently scheduled to headline UFC 189.