The Ultimate Fighting Championship has three weeks to come up with a top-10 middleweight or an upcoming show will be in dire straits.
As first reported by Fight Bananas on Thursday, and subsequently confirmed by multiple outlets, Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) will no longer be competing in the main event of UFC Fight Night 240 on April 4. The reasons for his withdrawal are currently undisclosed. His foe Brendan Allen (23-5) suggested earlier on Thursday on Instagram that the fight was off, while calling for names including Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya.
This marks the first time that “The Italian Dream” has pulled out of a UFC fight. The veteran middleweight has had numerous fight cancelations over the years, but none had been previously attributed to him. The former title challenger has struggled as of late, alternating wins and losses since a clear-cut defeat to champion Adesanya in 2021. While the newfound Xtreme Couture product pulled off wins over Paulo Costa and Roman Dolidze, he came up short to Whittaker and Cannonier in marquee matchups—the latter a five-rounder.
Allen hopes to remain on the lineup, but it is unclear whether the promotion will find a suitable replacement for on short notice. The top-ranked 185-pounder has rattled off six straight wins, with five of those coming by rear-naked choke. On his way up, he submitted names including Sam Alvey, Andre Muniz and Paul Craig to get into a matchup against the top echelon of his division. “All In” sports a finish rate of 83% as a pro, with eight of his 11 UFC victories coming inside the distance.
UFC Fight Night 240 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 4, and the headliner is currently in jeopardy. As the card is currently constituted, the co-main event comes at bantamweight between Norma Dumont and former featherweight titleholder Germaine de Randamie. Other main card pairings include a bantamweight scrap between Heili Alateng and Victor Hugo Silva, as well as a 145-pound clash pitting Alexander Hernandez against Damon Jackson.
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