UFC officials are currently seeking a bantamweight fighter willing to compete on a little more than one week’s notice after Alejandro Perez was forced to withdraw from next week’s The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale.

MMAjunkie today confirmed with UFC officials that Perez (17-6-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) was forced out of the event, and a search is currently underway for a new opponent for Rob Font (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale takes place Dec. 3 at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The event’s main card airs live on FS1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass. The bout order has not yet been set.

Font was in action most recently in May, settling for a decision loss to John Lineker. Font was scheduled to return to action at October’s UFC 204 in England, but Ian Entwistle was ruled medically ineligible at the card’s official weigh-ins, and the bout was scrapped.

Perez is the winner of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.” After winning the season, he suffered a disappointing submission loss to Patrick Williams but immediately rebounded with wins over Scott Jorgensen and Entwistle. In September, Perez was forced to settle for a draw against Albert Morales.

A timetable wasn’t immediately established for his return.

With the change, the current lineup for The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale now includes:

Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. TBA – for flyweight title

Joseph Benavidez vs. Henry Cejudo

Jake Ellenberger vs. Jorge Masvidal

Jared Cannonier vs. Ion Cutelaba

Alexis Davis vs. Sara McMann

Ryan Hall vs. Gray Maynard

Rob Font vs. TBA

Kailin Curran vs. Jamie Moyle

Devin Clark vs. Josh Stansbury

Elvis Mutapcic vs. Anthony Smith

Brendan O’Reilly vs. “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim

Ryan Benoit vs. Brandon Moreno

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.