Simpson steps in to face Avellan

Less than 24 hours after MMAWeekly.com learned that David Avellan was without an opponent due to Tim McKenzie being forced out of the fight with an undisclosed injury, a new fighter has stepped in as a replacement.

Arizona Combat Sports fighter and former All-American wrestler Aaron Simpson will take the fight against Avellan on short notice, moving up from his natural 170-pound weight class.

Simpson has a storied career on the collegiate wrestling scene serving as both coach and training partner to many of the top fighters now competing in MMA while working with both Arizona State and later with the Cal-Poly wrestling team.

His resume as a coach reads like a who's who of young MMA stars having worked with everyone from Cain Velasquez to C.B. Dollaway to Mark Munoz.

Simpson also sports an undefeated professional MMA record of his own, and along with his wife, appeared on the last season of the popular NBC show American Gladiators.

Avellan will be no easy test to face on short notice. The Bodog Fight veteran also sports an undefeated record and holds numerous achievements in the grappling world including a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is a former Abu Dhabi competitor.

The fight between Simpson and Avellan rounds out the WEC 36 card at 11 bouts for Sept. 10, including the main event pitting featherweight king Urijah Faber in defense of his title against Mike Brown.