A small bomb exploded in the world of mixed martial arts on Friday, a back injury forcing Arman Tsarukyan to withdraw from his rematch against Islam Makhachev scheduled for Saturday at UFC 311.
The Armenian fighter will still have to wait before crossing swords again with the reigning lightweight champion. Makhachev (26-1) won their first duel, in April 2019, before climbing the rankings to the top of his category.
Tsarukyan (22-3) won this fight with an impressive victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.
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-Some people’s bad luck makes others happy: the Brazilian Renato Moicano (20-5-1) will have an unexpected opportunity to get his hands on the belt. He will replace Tsarukyan in the grand finale of this gala presented at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Moicano was expected to face Beneil Dariush on the undercard of the Makhachev-Tsarukyan clash. The 35-year-old veteran is enjoying a good streak of four victories, having dismissed Benoît Saint Denis by doctor’s order last September.
The TVA Sports 2 channel will present the preliminary card of UFC 311 starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
