UFC Vegas 93: Why has Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Joshua Van been canceled?
In their latest series of fights that have been scrapped by the UFC this month, Russian MMA rising star Tagir Ulanbekov has been pulled out from his fight with Joshua Van. Their three-round flyweight contest was set to take place at UFC on ESPN this weekend.
The UFC released an official statement on the fight cancellation today, saying:
"Due to Tagir Ulanbekov weighing in over the flyweight limit, his bout with Joshua Van has been removed from this weekend’s event."
Tagir Ulanbekov weighed in at 129.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the flyweight limit, while Joshua Van came in at 125.5. The weight miss was so significant that the UFC just chose to scrap the fight altogether.
This is unfortunate news also for Ulanbekov's opponent, Joshua Van, who suffered three straight fight cancellations in 2024 before this one. He was first booked to face Lucas Rocha in April, but then it was changed to Su Mudaerji. The Burmese fighter was then booked to fight this weekend's main event fighter, Tatsuro Taira, for UFC 302 but it was also scrapped.
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Joshua Van at UFC Fight Night 58 isn't the only fight canceled by the UFC this month
It seems the Tagir Ulanbekov-Joshua Van fight is just the tip of the iceberg of a dismal series of high-profile bout cancellations by the UFC in June. First, the much-awaited bout between Khamzat Chimaev and former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for UFC Saudi Arabia next weekend has been canceled.
This was due to the Chechen warrior getting "violently ill" according to UFC president Dana White. Whittaker will now face former opponent of Chimaev, Ikram Aliskerov.
But the biggest cancellation this month - and perhaps ever - is the long-awaited return of Conor McGregor, set to headline UFC 303 against Michael Chandler on June 29.
After nearly two years of trying to sign the fight, the McGregor-Chandler clash was made official this year. A week ago, however, rumors started circulating that the bout might get canceled. Finally, Dana White made the official statement that McGregor pulled out due to injury.
The new main event of UFC 303 is now Alex Pereira defending his UFC light-heavyweight title in a rematch with former divisional kingpin Jiri Prochazka.
Here's the video of Dana White announcing the new line-up for UFC 303: