Bryce Mitchell was scheduled to fight Movsar Evloev in next week’s UFC 288. However, due to an unexpected injury Thug Nasty pulled himself out of the fight and Diego Lopes has stepped in to fight the undefeated Russian fighter next Saturday.
Former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo and current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will fight in the main event of UFC 288 on May 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Movsar and Lopez will now square off in the main event’s rearranged featherweight match.
B.Mitchell out. Movsar Evloev will now fight Diego Lopes at #UFC288 on May 6th. (first rep. @CCLegaspi) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/UjJUGodNwy
— Marcel Dorff đłđ±đźđ© (@BigMarcel24) May 2, 2023
Why did Bryce Mitchell pull himself out of the fight against Movsar Evloev?
Bryce was initially scheduled to fight Jonathan Pierce in UFC 288. Unfortunately Pierce sustained an injury and as a result the Russian fighter replaced him. But now Bryce too has to step aside due to suffering a back injury as per the confirmation by Dana White.
The UFC head posted a video on Twitter clarifying everything. Dana also praised the undefeated Russian featherweight fighter while declaring the injury update of Bryce.
“If you don’t know who Movsar is, he’s 16-0. He’s an unbelievable grappler, unbelievable puncher and great wrestler. This kid has zero holes in his game. He is a guy that everyone is worried about. He’s ranked number 10 in the featherweight division.” Dana said.
Breaking newsâŠâŠâŠâŠ pic.twitter.com/pNvr9Qo3I2
— danawhite (@danawhite) May 3, 2023
The UFC chief has a reputation of loving fighters who step up in the last minute. This is exactly what the 28-year-old fighter did, stepped in instantly when he got the chance. The Brazilian fighter will be making his UFC debut against the Russian on the coming Saturday night.
“He is taking on Diego Lopes now, who is coming in on five days’ notice. This kid’s a great grappler and has a 90% finish rate. I love kids who step up and take opportunities! This is a huge opportunity for Lopez.” Dana added.
Bryce Mitchell OUT, Diego Lopes le remplace pour combattre Movsar Evloev ce week-end lors de lâ#UFC288 đš
[via @CCLegaspi] pic.twitter.com/8SUJ0NCQWY
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) May 2, 2023
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