Forrest Griffin was scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114 on May 29 in Las Vegas. Griffin was forced off the card due to an injured shoulder, and Jason Brilz was soon bumped up from the under card to face the Brazilian star.
News is now surfacing that rising star Jon Jones was offered the fight but turned it down due to lack of time in the gym since his last fight against Brandon Vera in March.
In fact, Jones was just one of a number of fighters that turned down a potential fight at the end of May. Vera, Thiago Silva, and Ryan Bader all turned down the fight due to injuries they are all rehabbing and not ready for action.
Brilz (18-2-1) is coming off of a win over Eric Schafer. He has posted a record of 13-1-1 in his last 15 fights.
Nogueira (18-3) last fought in November when he made his long-awaited UFC debut with a knockout win over Luiz Cane at UFC 106. Nogueira was contractually owed a fight, which made it all the more important for a fighter to step up and face him at UFC 114.
