Anthony Hernandez has new opponent for UFC 298 after Ikram Aliskerov pulls outÂ
Anthony Hernandez will remain on the UFC 298 fight card after his previously scheduled opponent was forced to pull out.
Hernandez was set to face surging contender Ikram Aliskerov at the upcoming pay-per-view and will now face Roman Kopylov after Aliskerov withdrew from the bout. 'Fluffy' and Kopylov will lock horns at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Feb. 17, 2024.
Notably, Hernandez and Kopylov were set to compete at Noche UFC in September last year, but the American was forced to withdraw due to an unspecified ligament tear he suffered while sparring.
'Fluffy', a submission specialist, is on an impressive four-fight win streak with victories against the likes of Edmen Shahbazyan, Marc-Andre Barriault, and Rodolfo Vieira. Meanwhile, Kopylov is also on a four-fight win streak, with all four wins coming via knockouts.
Both fighters are potent finishers, with just three decision wins between them.
Reason behind Ikram Aliskerov's withdrawal from UFC 298 revealed
Ikram Aliskerov was scheduled to face No.13-ranked middleweight Anthony Hernandez on the main card at UFC 298. The Russian confirmed his withdrawal and disclosed the reason on X, writing:
"Unfortunately because of staph infection I had to cancel my fight. It was a great chance to jump to the top 15 and fight in this crazy fight card... See you guys after Ramadan."
Additionally, he uploaded an image of his staff infection on Instagram:
Aliskerov mentioned in the caption that he made the decision to withdraw as the infection had been bothering him for four weeks. He holds a 15-1 record, with his lone loss coming against Khamzat Chimaev under the BRAVE CF promotional banner. He is on a two-fight winning streak in the UFC.
UFC 298 will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker will square off in the co-main event, with Geoff Neal set to face Ian Machado Garry in a grudge match and Henry Cejudo taking on Merab Dvalishvili in a pivotal bantamweight clash.