It appears [autotag]Shamil Abdurakhimov [/autotag]will be looking for a new dance partner if he wants to fight in New York next month.
Abdurakhimov (20-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was set to take on [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in a heavyweight fight at UFC 249. But Thursday, Gane posted on social media that he had suffered a collapsed lung during training, and it will keep him from finishing up a full camp for the fight.
Unfortunately I will not be able to compete in New York for UFC 249. I was struck by another pneumothorax during training. Impossible for me to be at 100% by April 18. Don't worry, everything is fine! I will take this time off to recover and return at my best! 💪🏾@mmafactory_fr pic.twitter.com/kIpoLZtZoS
— Ciryl Gane (@ciryl_gane) March 5, 2020
UFC 249 takes place April 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected for ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
This is not the first time Gane has fallen victim to a pneumothorax, the clinical term for a collapsed lung. In September 2018, before he was in the UFC, he went through the same thing.
🚑 #CirylGane est à l’hôpital avec un poumon perforé et affaissé (il s’était plaint d’une douleur à son arrivée au 🇨🇦)
Opération réussie.
Si on rajoute une luxation du gros orteil dès le 1er Rd.
MalgrĂ© cela il a dĂ©fendu son 🏆 Lourds avec un TKO magistral !#BonGamin #Warrior pic.twitter.com/yDtGlhm7bm— ⚜️FREQUENCE MMA (@FqMMA) September 22, 2018
Gane, from France, signed with the UFC in 2019 and quickly won his first three fights with the promotion. He submitted Raphael Pessoa in August 2019, then Don’Tale Mayes in October. In December, he went the distance for the first time in his MMA career and outworked Tanner Boser for a decision.
Abdurakhimov is looking to rebound from a TKO loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242 this past September. That snapped a run of three straight wins over Chase Sherman and Marcin Tybura by knockout, and former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski by decision.
With the change, the UFC 249 lineup now includes:
- Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson – for lightweight title
- Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
- Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
- Ben Rothwell vs. Gian Villante
- Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Khama Worthy
- Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. TBA
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Karl Roberson
- Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
- Hunter Azure vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
- Alexander Hernandez vs. Islam Makhachev
[vertical-gallery id=456796]
[vertical-gallery id=350039]