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Aurelio steps in for Tibau at UFC 90

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Due to a shoulder injury, American Top Team fighter Gleison Tibau, has been forced out of his scheduled fight against Hermes Franca at UFC 90 in Chicago. MMAWeekly.com has now confirmed his new opponent will be another American Top Team fighter in Marcus Aurelio.

The news was confirmed by sources close to Aurelio's camp on Tuesday.

The fight between Aurelio and Franca holds a great deal of significance to both fighters for a number of reasons.

First and foremost of course is the fact that this fight is being viewed as a "loser leaves town" type of fight with both fighters recently suffering losses in the Octagon, and it almost seems certain that the only guarantee to stay in the UFC would be with a win.

The further backstory to this match-up spans a few years of history as Franca used to serve as an instructor at American Top Team, but he left the school amidst rumors of a falling out between the Brazilian and the heads of American Top Team.

The fight will serve on the undercard of the main event featuring UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defending his belt against Canadian Patrick Cote.

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