UFC Vegas 86 Hit With 3 Major Changes on Fight Week

Originally posted on FanNation MMA Knockout | Last updated 2/7/24

This Saturday’s UFC Vegas 86 has undergone several major changes just a few days out from the event.

Headlined by a middleweight clash between Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer, this weekend’s UFC Fight Night card will take place at the promotion’s UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.

The event already experienced a significant change when Lerone Murphy was forced to withdraw from a co-main event bout with Dan Ige before he was replaced by Andre Fili, and now the UFC has announced that three more fighters will step in on short notice to salvage several of the scheduled matchups.

The UFC Vegas 86 prelims were supposed to see longtime UFC veteran Damir Hadžović welcome Bolaji Oki to the promotion, but because of Hadžović's visa issues, Timothy Cuamba is stepping in to face Oki in a battle between debuting fighters.

Fernie Garcia has also replaced the injured Melsik Baghdasaryan to take on unbeaten Hyder Amil, and on the main card, Ihor Potieria was called in to replace Albert Duraev for a matchup with Robert Bryczek due to via issues on the part of Duraev.

The late changes ensure that UFC Vegas 86 still features 14 fights, and in addition to the high-profile main and co-main events the card now includes five fighters that will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time.

This article first appeared on FanNation MMA Knockout and was syndicated with permission.

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