An exciting knockout artist had his UFC debut cancelled on short notice due to a worrying injury.
UFC Vegas 107 has suffered several setbacks ahead of fight night at the Apex on May 31.
Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber have traded insults after Barber missed weight by half a pound for their flyweight main event.
While that fight is still scheduled to go ahead as planned, one matchup fell off the card entirely after a replacement opponent got injured.
Andreas Gustafsson was originally set to make history as the first UFC fighter to wear a debut patch following the promotion’s recent partnership with Topps.
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Andreas Gustafsson says Trevin Giles hit his head during weight cut for UFC Vegas 107
After earning his spot on the roster via Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Andreas Gustafsson was set to make his Octagon debut against Jeremiah Wells at UFC Vegas 107.
Trevin Giles ended up replacing Wells on short notice in a matchup that would’ve made Gustafsson the first fighter to wear a debut patch until debutant Michael Aswell Jr stepped in to face Bolaji Oki lower down on the card.
Unfortunately, it was announced by Brendan Fitzgerald during the weigh-ins that the fight was off due to an injury to Giles.
In a video posted by Gustafsson on his Instagram story, the Swede claimed that his scheduled opponent had hit his head during his short notice weight cut.
“As you all have already heard, the fight is off. My opponent pulled out this morning. Apparently he fell during the weight cut and hit his head. It sucks. I’m ready, I’m on weight, I have prepared for this and yeah, of course it sucks really bad but we have faith. We hope that they can find a replacement opponent soon so stay tuned for an update.”
The UFC appears to have already found a new opponent and date for Andreas Gustafsson
Another fight cancellation was announced yesterday with Albert Tadevosyan stating on social media that he would be unable to fight Khaos Williams at UFC 316 on June 7.
Reports from several sources (Matias Andres & FrontkickOnline) now suggest that Williams will stay on the card against the debuting Andreas Gustafsson.
The new matchup is a big test for Gustafsson with Williams going 6-3 during his time in the UFC.
His only losses inside the Octagon have come to quality opposition in Gabriel Bonfim, Randy Brown and Michel Pereira with knockout wins over the likes of Alex Morono, Abdul Razak Alhassan and Miguel Baeza.