Thiago Alves injured, Matt Brown to face Mike Pyle in Boston

Many thought that Matt Brown should be facing a higher-ranked opponent when he was signed up to fight Thiago Alves at UFC on Fox Sports 1: Boston. After all, he is on a five-fight win streak with four knockouts to his credit. After beating Jordan Mein at UFC on Fox 7, most expected Brown to get a high-profile fight, but he was booked opposite Alves.

Today, it appears that Brown will have a different opponent, as Alves is injured and Mike Pyle has stepped in to take his place at UFC on Fox Sports 1:Boston. Fox Sports 1 tweeted the changeup today:

#BREAKING: @ThiagoAlvesATT is injured and won’t fight on @foxsports1 in Boston on 8.17, NEW FIGHT at 170lbs @Mike_Pyle vs @IamTheImmortal

— FOX Sports 1 (@FoxSports1) July 3, 2013

While Pyle is not necessarily a high-profile statement bout Brown, he does in fact bring more credibility to the octagon at this point. Alves has gone through a seemingly endless string of injuries and uncertainties, leaving the former title challenger with a question mark next to his name.

Pyle is coming off a hard-fought split decision victory over Rick Story at UFC 160, so it will be a quick turnaround for him. Both fighters have shown incredible grit throughout their current winning streaks, and the winner of this fight should find themselves taking on a top-level welterweight.