UFC Vegas 20 card down to 10 fights after losing Alex Oliveira vs. Ramazan Kuramagomedov

Saturday’s UFC Vegas 20 card is down to just 10 fights now after losing a welterweight bout between Alex Oliveira and Ramazan Kuramagomedov.

Oliveira vs. Kuramagomedov was itself a replacement bout, as the Russian filled in on just four days’ notice after Randy Brown pulled out of the fight at the start of fight week. Oliveira wanted to remain on the card and the UFC found him a very tough opponent in the UFC newcomer Kuramagomedov, but unfortunately, the fight was just not meant to be. It was scratched on weigh-ins day after Kuramagomedov was not cleared to fight due to an illness. With no time left to find a replacement opponent, Oliveira was also removed from the card. It’s unknown if the UFC plans on rescheduling this bout (h/t MMAFighting.com). We do not have news if either fighter was paid their show money.

This becomes the third fight that was scratched on this card, the others being William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield at 205lbs and Raoni Barcelos vs. Marcelo Rojo at 135lbs. Both of those fights were scratched due to COVID-19 related issues, however. It appears that Kuramagomedov had a tough weight cut, and given the short-notice nature of the fight, it’s understandable. Remember, it was just two outings ago that he was competing as a middleweight on Dana White’s Contender Series. The UFC president didn’t pick him up that night, but the youngster stayed ready just in case something came up. That opportunity arose when Brown pulled out of UFC Vegas 20, but it was not meant to be.

The rest of the UFC Vegas 20 card is intact aside from the aforementioned bouts. The most notable fight on Saturday night features top-10 heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event. As well, top-15 light heavyweights Nikita Krylov and Magomed Ankalaev meet in the co-main event of a card down to 10 fights.

Which fight are you most excited about at UFC Vegas 20?