Just when you thought the UFC's luck couldn't get any worse... think again. UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga is the latest fighter to withdraw from an upcoming high-profile fight due to injury.

A staph infection has forced Gonzaga to withdraw from his fight against rising prospect Junior dos Santos, which was scheduled for the main card of UFC 108 on Jan. 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, NV. News of Gonzaga's injury and withdrawal from UFC 108 was first reported by Yahoo! Sports' Steve Cofield. The UFC has yet to make the change official.

The UFC's heavyweight division was depending on the anticipated showdown between Gonzaga and Dos Santos to produce an upcoming title challenger. Gonzaga joins other heavyweights who have been forced off with of recent high-profile bouts injuries or illnesses including UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (Mono/intestinal infection) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (staph infection).

Gonzaga's injury is the latest in a dismal stretch of injuries and illnesses that have piled up over the last couple of months for the UFC. UFC 108 in particular seems to have been hit the hardest as three previous main event bouts were lost.

First, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was unable to defend his title against Vitor Belfort due to elbow surgery. Then, UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin were rescheduled for UFC 108 from it's originally scheduled placement at UFC 106, however, that bout was scrapped after Lesnar's illness continued to worsen. A third attempt at a UFC 108 main event between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez was scrapped after Nogueira caught a severe staph infection.

No replacement has been found at this time, as the UFC will likely begin the search for one after the holiday.

With UFC heavyweight contender Shane Carwin likely out of the running for replacing Gonzaga, undefeated contender Cain Velasquez seems like the most logical choice to fight Junior dos Santos and would make for an exciting match up between two ultra-talented heavyweight prospects. However, it is unlikely that the UFC would pit two of the heavyweight divisions brightest prospects against one another at this time.

Gonzaga (11-4) is 3-1 in his last four bouts and most recently defeated Chris Tuchscherer via first round TKO at UFC 102 in August. His only loss during the stretch came against current UFC heavyweight title challenger Shane Carwin at UFC 96 in March. He holds a 7-3 record in 10 fights with the UFC, with other notable Octagon wins coming against Kevin Jordan, Justin McCully and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

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

UFC 108 is headlined by a light-heavyweight bout between former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and noted prospect Thiago Silva. In addition, welterweights Paul Daley and Carlos Condit will look to continue their climb to a title shot when they face each other at the event.

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!