(UPDATED)Veteran Mike Pyle Replaces Chris Wilson At UFC 98

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that veteran welterweight Mike Pyle is on standby to be a potential replacement at UFC 98 this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Strikeforce, WEC, Affliction and Sengoku veteran Mike Pyle (17-5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been tapped as a "standby" fighter for Saturday night's "UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida." 

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned from sources close to the event that Pyle has signed a contract with the organization and has been told to be ready to step into Saturday's event. 

Additional sources have indicated the UFC may be using "Quicksand" as an insurance policy for Brazilian resident Chris Wilson (14-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in his bout with Brock Larson (25-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC). 

An Xtreme Couture-trained fighter and Las Vegas resident, Pyle has also fought for the now-defunct EliteXC and IFL organizations. Currently riding a four-fight win streak, Pyle has earned 15 of his 17 career wins by submission.

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Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer did confirm with MMAjunkie.com that he was "waiting for some additional medical information" from Wilson, but he insisted there was no failed drug test or reason to believe Wilson would be unable to compete at this time. 

This is interesting. This isn't the first time the UFC has done this recently, as Ricky Story was tapped to replace Karo Parisyan if he couldn't go against Dong-Hyun Kim at UFC 94 in January.

[Note by Kelvin Hunt, 05/22/09 3:02 PM EDT ]Mike Pyle will replace Chris Wilson on the UFC 98 card:

Mixed martial arts veteran Mike Pyle will make his long-awaited UFC debut Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena as he takes on Brock Larson in a UFC 98 prelim bout. Pyle replaces Chris Wilson, who was a last-minute scratch from the event.

HT: UFC.com