Sergei Pavlovich out of UFC Fight Night 191 co-main event vs. Tom Aspinall due to visa issues

The promotion is currently seeking a replacement so Tom Aspinall can remain on the card.

UFC Fight Night 191 continues to encounter lineup changes due to visa issues and travel restrictions.

The previously scheduled Sept. 4 co-main event has been canceled. With Russia’s [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) out due to visa issues, the promotion is currently seeking a heavyweight replacement to fight [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

The withdrawal marks the 11th known change the promotion has made to the card to date. Originally expected to take place in London, the card has been ransacked with travel issues since it was moved to Las Vegas.

Should he remain on the card, Aspinall will seek his fourth victory in as many promotional appearances. The 28-year-old fighter has finished all three of his UFC outings via knockout.

The latest UFC Fight Night 191 lineup now includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till
  • Tom Aspinall vs. TBA
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcelo Rojo
  • Molly McCann vs. Ji Yeon Kim
  • Paddy Pimblett vs. Luigi Vendramini
  • Mandy Bohm vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Julian Erosa vs. Charles Jourdain
  • Liudvik Sholinian vs. Jack Shore
  • Alex Morono vs. David Zawada

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Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich added to UFC Fight Night 191 on Sept. 4

Heavyweight prospects Tom Aspinall and Sergey Pavlovich will square off later this summer.

Heavyweight prospects [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] will square off at the end of the summer.

Aspinall (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is set to meet Pavlovich (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on Sept. 4 at UFC Fight Night 191, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. UFC officials announced the booking Wednesday morning.

Unbeaten in the UFC, Liverpool’s Aspinall is off to a hot start. After scoring back-to-back first-round TKO wins over Jake Collier and Alan Baudot, the Team Kaobon fighter picked up his biggest win to date when he submitted former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski in the second round of their fight in February.

Pavlovich is riding some momentum of his own having won two consecutive bouts. He suffered his first-career loss when he was stopped by Alistair Overeem in his UFC debut in November 2018, but Pavlovich rebounded with back-to-back first round TKO wins over Marcelo Golm and Maurice Greene. Pavlovich was scheduled to face current interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in August 2020 but was forced to withdraw due to injury. The 29-year-old hasn’t competed since October 2019.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 191 lineup includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till
  • Paul Craig vs. Alexander Gustafsson
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcelo Rojo
  • Molly McCann vs. Ji Yeon Kim
  • Rafael Alves vs. Marc Diakiese
  • Paddy Pimblett vs. Luigi Vendramini
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Jack Shore
  • Mandy Bohm vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Sergey Khandozhko vs. David Zawada
  • Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Sergey Pavlovich

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With Sergei Pavlovich out, Ciryl Gane vs. Shamil Abdurkhaimov targeted for Sept. 19 UFC event

Ciryl Gane and Shamil Abdurakhimov had been scheduled to fight each other twice before.

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]’s fight with [autotag]Shamil Abdurakhimov[/autotag] is set to be rebooked for a third time.

Gane had been scheduled to meet [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] at the UFC’s Aug. 8 event, but Pavlovich announced Wednesday morning that he will undergo knee surgery to repair an old injury. As a result, the UFC is targeting Gane vs. Abdurakhimov its Sept. 19 event expected to take place in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the impending booking Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Gane (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) originally was scheduled to face Abdurakhimov (20-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on April 18 but was forced out because of a collapsed lung. The pair were then scheduled to face off July 11, but Abdurakhimov was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons.

Gane was then slated to face Pavlovich but will now go back to his original opponent, Abdurakhimov.

Since joining the UFC roster, France’s undefeated Gane has gone 3-0. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Tanner Boser last December at UFC on ESPN+ 23.

Abdurakhimov saw his three-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Curtis Blaydes last September at UFC 242. Prior to that, he picked up three straight wins over Chase Sherman, Andrei Arlovski and Marcin Tybura.

With the addition, the Sept. 19 lineup includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos
  • Hakeem Dawodu vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
  • Shamil Abdurkhaimov vs. Ciryl Gane

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