Cormier On Oliveira's UFC 331 Withdrawal

Charles Oliveira withdrew from his scheduled UFC 331 rematch with Arman Tsarukyan after the death of his Chute Boxe teammate Allan Nascimento earlier this week, according to Daniel Cormier.

The UFC announced Thursday that Tsarukyan will instead face Mauricio Ruffy on the September 19 card in Los Angeles. Nascimento died Monday at 34 years old. Cormier told his YouTube audience that the tragedy forced Oliveira off the card. "Charles' teammate passed away, and that's why I believe we're not getting that fight," Cormier said, per MMA Mania. "Obviously, those guys down there, Oliveira and their team, they're all so close."

Tsarukyan Takes Ruffy Fight Instead

Cormier said Tsarukyan confirmed the Oliveira rematch to him in Abu Dhabi before Nascimento's death changed the plan. The former two-division champion praised Tsarukyan for accepting the Ruffy fight despite the lower upside. "That's a dangerous fight with not as much upside because Ruffy, while he is good and while he did have that great win at the White House, he doesn't have the name value of Charles Oliveira," Cormier said.

Tsarukyan lost a split decision to Oliveira at UFC 300 in April in one of the year's closest lightweight bouts. The Armenian contender told Cormier he wants to fight his way into an undeniable title shot against flyweight champion Joshua Van, who defends against Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event.

The card also features Renato Moicano against Brian Ortega, Marlon Vera against Charles Jourdain, and Gable Steveson's second UFC appearance against Sean Sharaf.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Daniel Cormier: Allan Nascimento’s death led to Charles Oliveira’s removal from UFC 331