Brazilian contender Junior dos Santos finally has been given a new opponent for UFC 108, as he will now face UFC newcomer and 50-fight veteran Gilbert Yvel in a heavyweight bout slated for the televised main card portion of the January event. News of the bout was first reported earlier today by Tatame.com.

Dos Santos' original UFC 108 opponent, Gabriel Gonzaga, was forced to drop out of the event due to a staph infection.

Yvel was set to fight Paul Buentello at Affliction: "Trilogy" in August, however, the event was canceled and the promotion has since folded. Besides the UFC, Yvel has also been in talks with Strikeforce.

As reported by MMAjunkie.com, Yvel was granted a one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in October. The NSAC previously denied him a fighting license in Feb. 2007, which canceled his scheduled fight against Sergei Kharitonov at Pride 33 in Las Vegas.

Yvel's license was denied based on a 2004 incident, when he attacked a referee in a bout against Atte Backman in Finland. His troubled past also saw him get disqualified twice before for intentionally fouling his opponents. Yvel has expressed remorse for the incidents and wants to put his past behind him and show everyone that he has changed.

Yvel (36-13-1) is 8-1 in his last nine bouts, however, he has not fought since scoring a brutal first-round knockout win over Pedro Rizzo at Ultimate Chaos: "Lashley vs. Sapp" in June. His lone loss over that span came against Josh Barnett at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" in January.

The Dutch fighter has competed for other prominent organizations during his long 12-year career such as Rings, M-1, Fight Festival, Cage Rage and Pride. He has finished all of his 36 career wins, including 31 by TKO or KO. Yvel holds notable career wins over the likes of Semmy Schilt, Fabiano Scherner and Cheick Kongo.

Dos Santos (9-1) has won four straight fights, with his most recent win coming over Mirko Filipovic ("Cro Cop") at UFC 103 last month. He is off to a 3-0 start with the UFC, with all three wins coming by stoppage. He has recorded other Octagon wins over Fabricio Werdum and Stefan Struve.

UFC 108 takes place on Jan. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV, and will be headlined by a light-heavyweight bout between former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva. Other bouts slated for the main card include Paul Daley vs. Carlos Condit, and Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 108 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!