Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik scratched from UFC Columbus

Bad news has struck the UFC Columbus main card. Swedish heavyweight Ilir Latifi has come down with a non-COVID related illness, nixing his fight…

By: Mookie Alexander | 1 year ago
Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik scratched from UFC Columbus
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Bad news has struck the UFC Columbus main card.

Swedish heavyweight Ilir Latifi has come down with a non-COVID related illness, nixing his fight with submission specialist Aleksei Oleinik at the 11th hour.

Latifi (15-8, 1 NC) recently snapped a three-fight losing streak with a gutsy unanimous decision over Canadian Tanner Boser at UFC Vegas 28 last June. He began his UFC career as a light heavyweight before moving up to heavyweight in 2020.

Oleinik (59-16-1) is on a three-fight losing skid, most recently dropping a decision to Sergey Spivak last June. The 44-year-old’s last win was a split decision over Fabricio Werdum at UFC 249 in May 2020. Unfortunately for him, he won’t get the opportunity to snap his losing run tonight as planned.

There’s no word yet on whether or not the UFC Columbus main card will proceed with five fights or if one of the prelims will be bumped to the main card.

Update: Neil Magny vs. Max Griffin is bumped to the main card, while Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa becomes the featured prelim.

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Mookie Alexander
Mookie Alexander

Mookie is a former Associate Editor for Bloody Elbow, leaving in August 2022 after ten years as a member of the staff. He's still lurking behind the scenes.

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