The fight card for UFC 257 just reduced from 12 to 11 with the news that the lightweight bout between [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] has been removed from the lineup for Saturday night’s fights.
Azaitar (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Frevola (8-1-1 MMA, 2-1-1 UFC) were scheduled to face off on the pay-per-view main card of the event, which takes place Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
However, news emerged during Friday’s official weigh-in session that the bout had been scratched from the card. Frevola arrived and duly made weight (155.5 pounds) in anticipation of a potential replacement opponent being found, but UFC officials subsequently released a statement confirming the cancellation of the bout. No reason was given for the bout’s removal, however.
As a result of the cancellation, the middleweight bout between Makhmud Muradov and Andrew Sanchez has been promoted from the early prelims to the main card.
With the change, the lineup for UFC 257 now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
- Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
- Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan
- Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
- Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
- Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
- Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz
- Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov