Another non-UFC pay-per-view headliner in October has taken a hit with Rafael Fiziev’s withdrawal from UFC Fight Night 261.
Fiziev (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has suffered an undisclosed injury that has forced him out of the Oct. 11 main event vs. former champion Charles Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) set to take place at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro (ESPN+).
A person with knowledge of the situation verified the news to MMA Junkie on Saturday following an initial report from X user Octagon Update. The promotion has yet to make an official announcement on Fiziev’s removal from the contest or plans about a potential replacement opponent for Oliveira.
Oliveira, 36, was meant compete in Brazil for the first time since March 2020. The promotion’s all-time leader in finishes, submissions and bonuses is 3-3 in his past six fights, and is hanging on to his No. 4 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings.
No. 12-ranked Fiziev, 32, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ABC 8 in June to snap a three-fight losing skid. He had a big opportunity to jump up the rankings, but now his next move is uncertain depending on the severity of his injury.
The latest UFC Fight Night 261 lineup includes:
- Charles Oliveira vs. opponent TBA
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Montel Jackson
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Mario Pinto
- Vicente Luque vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
- Clayton Carpenter vs. Jafel Filho
- Thomas Petersen vs. Vitor Petrino
- Stewart Nicoll vs. Lucas Rocha
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Julia Polastri
- Mohammed Usman vs. Valter Walker
- Kaan Ofli vs. Ricardo Ramos
- Lucas Almeida vs. Michael Aswell
- Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira
- HyunSung Park vs. Bruno Silva
- Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Santos
- Irina Alekseeva vs. Bia Mesquita
