“Contender Series” winner Nikolas Motta won’t get his UFC debut on May 8th, as injury has forced him out of a fight against Damir Hadzovic. A new matchup has been made since then, as Hadzovic has been matched with Yancy Medeiros for May 22nd, per a report from Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie.
News of the cancelled bout between Motta and Hadzovic was first reported by Carlos Antunes of AgFight.
The new pairing joins a UFC “Fight Night” card that does not have a location at the moment.
Hadzovic will enter the fight with the goal of snapping a two-fight skid. He last competed over a year ago, getting submitted by Renato Moicano in February of 2020.
Medeiros will be returning with a losing streak of his own that he will attempt to break. The UFC veteran was defeated for the third consecutive time in February of 2020, losing to Lando Vannata. Medeiros last won in 2018 when defeating Alex Oliveira.
Motta, the UFC newcomer now out of a fight, was looking to get his first UFC fight after putting together a three-fight win streak as a pro. His last bout was in November, when he defeated Joseph Lowry on “Dana White’s Contender Series” to earn a UFC contract. He earned a regional title in his previous bout, defeating Juan Gonzalez in 2019 to become the CFFC Lightweight Champion.
Bantamweights Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt are currently expected to headline UFC’s May 22nd card. Here is the updated lineup.
Bout 9: Rob Font (18-4) vs. Cody Garbrandt (12-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: David Dvorak (19-3) vs. Raulian Paiva (20-3) (Flyweight)
Bout 7: Felicia Spencer (8-2) vs. Danyelle Wolf (1-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Yan Xiaonan (13-1) vs. Carla Esparza (17-6) (Strawweight)
Bout 5: Rodrigo Nascimento (8-1) vs. Alan Baudot (8-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Denys Bondar (15-2) vs. Victor Rodriguez (7-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Justin Tafa (4-2) vs. Jared Vanderaa (11-5) (Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Joshua Culibao (8-1-1) vs. Sha Yilan (19-6) (Featherweight)
Bout 1: Yancy Medeiros (15-7) vs. Damir Hadzovic (13-6) (Lightweight)
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