Marcin Held faces Nasrat Haqparast as Teemu Packalen is forced out of UFC Gdansk

UFC newcomer Nasrat Haqparast has replaced Teemu Packalen for his upcoming bout with Marcin Held at UFC Fight Night 118 in Gdansk.

UFC announced the change to the Oct. 21 card via Twitter on Tuesday.

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Packalen was forced out of the fight after suffering an injury to his knee that required surgery, as reported by MMAJunkie.com last week.

Former Bellator title contender Held has not been in the best of form since signing with the UFC last year, coming up short in all three of his promotional outings against Diego Sanchez, Joe Lauzon and Damir Hadzovic,

With his UFC status likely on the line in front of his home fans, the 25-year-old Pole will now face German Haqparast, whose sole career loss came via submission.

Haqparast carries a healthy eight-fight win streak into the contest having suffered his only loss in his professional debut. Ever since then, Haqparast has enjoyed success, finishing all eight of his opponents with strikes.

The 22-year-old was dragged into deep waters in his last outing at Superior FC 17 having gained a reputation for quick finishes on the German national scene.

Despite fellow prospect Ruslan Kalyniuk taking him to the third round, Haqparast stopped the contest with measured ground and pound.