Following the loss of Lyoto Machida to the UFC Ultimate Fight Night 30 card, Rafael Natal has stepped in to fight Tim Kennedy at UFC Fights For The Troops III. Natal will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak, with a notable win over Sean Spencer at UFC On Fox VI. Kennedy is currently undefeated in UFC competition, having defeated Roger Gracie by decision at UFC 162.
Now that Natal is competing at UFC Fights For The Troops III, his original opponent at UFC 167, ED Herman is now without an opponent at that event. UFC Fights For The Troops III takes place on November 6th from Fort Campbell in Hopkinsville, Kentucky with the aforementioned fighters headlining.