UFC on ABC 6 faces three more changes days before Saudi Arabia card

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It’s a UFC fight week in Saudi Arabia and unexpected circumstances have kept the matchmakers busy.

On Thursday, the promotion announced Ikram Aliskerov replaced Khamzat Chimaev in the main event against Robert Whittaker. Now, three more changes have occurred involving bouts on the undercard.

On Tuesday, four days prior to UFC on ABC 6 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the promotion officially announced the changes to Saturday’s fight card including two cancellations and one change of fighter.

Scroll below to see the changes and what the finalized fight card looks like as of now.

Felipe Silva replaces Melsik Baghdasaryan

Felipe Lima

With Melsik Baghdasaryan out due to injury, OKTAGON bantamweight champion Felipe Lima steps in to fight Muhammad Naimov in a featherweight bout.

Brazil’s Lima (12-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC, 26, has won 12 fights in a row since a loss in his professional debut in 2015. He has a 50 percent finishing rate in wins, including four knockouts and six submissions.

Tajikistan’s Naimov (11-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) rides a six-fight winning streak into the matchup that includes victories over Jamie Mullarkey, Nathaniel Wood, and Erik Silva.

Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin canceled

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 30: Sedriques Dumas reacts after his submission victory over Matej Penaz of the Czech Republic in a middleweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season six, week six at UFC APEX on August 30, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin has been canceled.

According to the UFC, Dumas (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) had visa issues for the bout vs. Tiuliulin (11-9 MMA, 1-4 UFC), which he took on short notice as a replacement for Abu Azaitar, who withdrew for unknown reasons.

“Sorry to my fans and teams,” Dumas wrote on X, one day before the UFC’s confirmation of the cancellation. “The fight has been postponed because of VA and flight reasons. Stay tuned. We should have a soon date available soon. Hope we can ride it back.”

Farid Basharat vs. Montel Jackson canceled

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 13: (R-L) Farid Basharat of Afghanistan kicks Taylor Lapilus of France in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

With Farid Basharat out, Montel Jackson has also been removed from the card. The fight is canceled. It’s unclear what caused Basharat to withdraw.

Basharat (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC had stepped in for Said Nurmagomedov, who withdrew from the matchup against Jackson (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) weeks ago.

This cancellation was first reported by Eurosport NL.

The current UFC on ABC 6 fight card includes:

The latest UFC on ABC 6 lineup now includes:

Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Muhammad Naimov Volkan Oezdemir vs. Johnny Walker Joilton Lutterbach vs. Shara Magomedov Jared Gordon vs. Nasrat Haqparast Nicolas Dalby vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov Farid Basharat vs. Montel Jackson Muin Gafurov vs. Kyung Ho Kang Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro Abu Azaitar vs. Denis Tiuliulin ChangHo Lee vs. Xiao Long Remainder of 2024 UFC summer schedule

June 22 – UFC on ABC 6 – Saudi Arabia June 29 – UFC 303 – Las Vegas