A late change has affected the UFC Fight Night 266 lineup just hours before fighters are to step on the scale.
Said Nurmagomedov is out of his scheduled bantamweight prelim bout against Javid Basharat. Luckily, on just hours’ notice, Basharat will remain on the card thanks to promotional newcomer Gianni Vazquez stepping up as a replacement. The move was officially confirmed by the UFC, although the reason for Nurmagomedov’s withdrawal is unclear.
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Vazquez (13-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his UFC debut on super short notice. The 31-year-old has competed as a flyweight for his past seven fights, but has also competed at 135, 145, and even 155 pounds throughout his career. He’s currently on a five-fight winning streak, which includes a second-round stoppage victory in his last outing in October.
Basharat (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) gets to keep his first fight date in a year, and will aim to rebound from back-to-back losses, and a no contest. His last victory came by way of unanimous decision over Mateus Mendonca in January 2023.
Updated UFC Fight Night 266 lineup
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Mario Bautista vs. Vinicius Oliveira
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Amir Albazi vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
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Jailton Almeida vs. Rizvan Kuniev
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Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
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Farid Basharat vs. Jean Matsumoto
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Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker
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Daniil Donchenko vs. Alex Morono
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Bruna Brasil vs. Ketlen Souza
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Javid Basharat vs. Gianni Vazquez
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Wang Cong vs. Eduarda Moura
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Muin Gafurov vs. Jakub Wiklacz
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Priscila Cachoeira vs. Klaudia Sygula
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 113: Newcomer replaces Nurmagomedov hours before weigh-ins
