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UFC 294 has a brand new predominant occasion with Charles Oliveira pressured off the cardboard on account of damage, and light-weight champion Islam Makhachev stepping in to face Alexander Volkanovski.
The rematch, introduced by UFC CEO Dana White following the Season 7 finale of The Contender Collection, headlines the UFC’s newest journey to Abu Dhabi on Oct. 14. The Overdogs podcast initially reported the information, which comes with lower than two weeks remaining till the occasion.
White stated Oliveira suffered a critical lower on his eyebrow within the fifth spherical of sparring on Monday night time and was unable to make the combat. The UFC CEO expressed his ire that the previous light-weight champion didn’t contact the promotion earlier than getting his wound stitched. He additionally groused concerning the info leak earlier than the promotion might inform its companions in Abu Dhabi.
It’s a seismic shift for the upcoming pay-per-view. Volkanovski steps in to avenge a razor-close loss to Makhachev once they first met in February. Volkanovski lobbied for an instantaneous rematch, however he as an alternative went onto defend his UFC featherweight title with a lopsided win over Yair Rodriguez in July.
All indicators pointed towards Volkanovski defending his belt once more at UFC 297 in January towards Ilia Topuria, nevertheless it seems these plans will likely be placed on maintain for now because the Australian makes his second try at changing into a two-division UFC champion. White confirmed that the promotion was concentrating on Volkanovski vs. Topuria earlier than the UFC 294 shakeup and stated “we’ll should see” a few new headliner for the winter occasion.
White added that Mateusz Gamrot, who not too long ago was confirmed because the backup fighter for Oliveira vs. Makhachev, was at one level an choice to step in, however he didn’t elaborate on why Gamrot was not chosen.
With Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 within the headliner spot, light-weight contender Matuesz Gamrot stays in place as a backup in case the rest occurs between now and Oct. 14. The cardboard takes place on the Etihad Area in Abu Dhabi with the cardboard airing stay on ESPN+ pay-per-view within the U.S.
Late Tuesday night, Oliveira launched a video in his native Portuguese explaining his scratch from UFC 294 with the title “I apologize.” He connected an image to the video, which might be seen under.
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