The UFC’s return to Sao Paulo, which goes down on Saturday, September 22, has been absolutely decimated by fight cancellations. The latest blow to this UFC Sao Paulo card occurred when welterweight fighter Belal Muhammad was forced out of his fight with Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. This news comes was first reported by Combate.
Per Combate’s report, Muhammad, who sustained an undisclosed injury, will be replaced by promotion newcomer Luigi Vendramini, who steps in on mere days’ notice. The 22 year-old-Brazilian is 7-0, and will have his hands full against the streaking finisher dos Santos, who is 19-5 overall.
This unfortunate news comes just hours after we learned that dangerous British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa had been forced out of the card’s main event. Manuwa was expected to battle Brazilian middleweight contender Thiago Santos, who in turn replaced former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira. Santos will now fight short-notice replacement Eryk Anders in the UFC Sao Paulo main event.
Other losses to this seemingly cursed card include a women’s bantamweight fight between Tonya Evinger and Ketlen Vieira, which was expected to serve as the co-main event, a middleweight bout between Elias Theodorou and Antonio Carlos Junior, and a welterweight bout between Neil Magny and Alex Oliveira.
Here’s what the UFC Sao Paulo lineup looks like now:
Thiago Santos vs. Eryk Anders
Alex Oliveira vs. Carlos Pedersoli Jr.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Sam Alvey
Renan Barao vs. Andre Ewell
Randa Markos vs. Marina Rodriguez
Charles Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Evan Dunham
Luis Henrique vs. Ryan Spann
Augusto Sakai vs. Chase Sherman
Ben Saunders vs. Sergio Moraes
Gillian Robertson vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
Thales Leites vs. Hector Lombard
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Luigi Vendramini
Livia Renata Souza vs. Alex Chambers
What do you think of the UFC Sao Paulo card after all of these injuries and fight cancellations? Will you be watching on Saturday or has the card lost its luster for you?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/18/2018.