UFC Saudi Arabia seemingly loses another main card fight to unfortunate injury
The highly anticipated UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22 faces a fresh setback as Armenian featherweight Melsik Baghdasaryan is forced to withdraw from his fight against Muhammad Naimov due to injury.
Baghdasaryan confirmed the news on his Instagram story, prompting MMA journalist Marcel Dorff to share the update on social media. This marks the second major main card fight cancellation for the event.
This latest setback comes just over a week after undefeated prospect Khamzat Chimaev pulled out from the originally scheduled headliner fight against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. UFC CEO Dana White announced Chimaev's withdrawal due to a "violent illness."
Ikram Aliskerov, who was originally slated for the co-main event of UFC Vegas 93, will now step in to face Whittaker in the main event of the Saudi Arabia card. Aliskerov boasts a 15-1 record overall and remains undefeated in the UFC with a 2-0 record.
UFC Saudi Arabia fight card after recent shuffle
Despite some setbacks, UFC Saudi Arabia still boasts a stacked fight card featuring a mix of established veterans and rising contenders. (It is to be noted that the fight card is subject to change, with the recent withdrawal from Melsik Baghdasaryan due to injury.)
Check out the updated list below:
Main Card
Middleweight bout: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
Heavyweight bout: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
Welterweight bout: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Featherweight bout: Muhammad Naimov vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (withdrawn from the fight due to injury)
Light heavyweight bout: Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Preliminary Card
Middleweight bout: Shara Magomedov vs. Joilton Lutterbach
Lightweight bout: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon
Welterweight bout: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby
Bantamweight bout: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov
Light heavyweight bout: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Middleweight bout: Abu Azaitar vs. Denis Tiuliulin
Bantamweight bout: Xiao Long vs. Chang Ho Lee