The bad luck continues for UFC bantamweight [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag].
Borg (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has fallen out of a fight once again, this time from his UFC on ESPN+ 31 matchup against [autotag]Nathan Maness[/autotag]. Borg is out for undisclosed reason.
A replacement has been found, however. Maness (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is now expected to fight fellow promotional newcomer [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag] pending bout finalization. The fight will be contested up a weight class at featherweight.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the change early Friday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion had yet to make an announcement just hours before-weigh-ins.
Borg now has missed back-to-back bookings. At UFC on ESPN 10 in June, Borg was supposed to fight Merab Dvalishvili. However, two days before the bout, Borg left Las Vegas and returned home for personal reasons.
A former flyweight title challenger, Borg’s history includes four weight misses, a withdrawal from the first scheduled date for his shot at then-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in 2017, and removal from UFC 223 when he was a victim of Conor McGregor’s attack on a fighter van following a media day.
Maness, 29, is a former TKO MMA champion. The Kentucky-based fighter has picked up six finishes (four knockouts and two submissions) in 12 professional bouts. His lone career loss was suffered to former UFC bantamweight Taylor Lapilus in May 2019.
Munoz (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) comes into UFC on ESPN+ 31 as the KOTC bantamweight champion. Out of 10 professional victories, Munoz has finished eight inside the distance. Prior to signing with the UFC, Munoz was expected to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series this summer.
UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ after prelims simulcasted on ESPN/ESPN+.
With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 31 lineup includes:
- Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
- Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
- Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata
- Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
- Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Nate Maness vs. Johnny Munoz
- Markus Perez vs. opponent TBA
- Vincent Cachero vs. Jamall Emmers
- Cody Durden vs. Chris Gutierrez
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