UFC 316 is without one of it’s biggest fan favorites after a broken finger cost the promotion a major clash.
Beloved heavyweight contender Shamil Gaziev was due to take on Serghei Spivac in a bout that could have seen him launch his way into the top ten. However, he is now out of action and requires surgery, meaning the bout is off.
With over a month until fight night, the number-seven ranked contender has already found a new opponent, who is actually higher ranked than Gaziev. He is staying on the Newark card, which is headlined by Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title rematch.
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Shamil Gaziev out of UFC 316 heavyweight clash
Shamil Gaziev has emerged in the past year as one of the UFC’s most beloved heavyweights with fans. The Russian and Bahraini contender has an inimitable style and has garnered a cult following for his finishes thus far in the promotion.
Fans were excited to see him return at UFC 316 in the Prudential Center on June 7, particularly taking on the toughest test of his career to date in Serghei Spivac. However, that bout is now cancelled after he suffered a broken finger in training.
He shared a photo of his brutal injury to social media yesterday with the caption: “Hello guys, unfortunately I broke my finger during preparation and will make surgery soon. But I will try my best to get back very soon.”
Serghei Spivac now faces Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 316
Luckily, the UFC were able to find a replacement for Spivac in the form of number-11 Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The Dominican has similarly lost just once under the UFC banner, and is currently on a four-fight winning streak.
His streak of victories includes the gigantic knockout artist Robelis Despaigne and former world champion Andrei Arlovski. Meanwhile, Spivac is 1-2 in his last three and is keen to get back to winning ways in Newark.
Spivac’s most recent defeat was a third round TKO at the hands of Jailton Almeida at UFC 311. He has also been knocked out by Ciryl Gane