UFC Fight Night: Perez vs. Taira Loses Another Huge Matchup on Weigh-in Day

Originally posted on MMA on SI | Last updated Jun 14, 2024 2:42 PM ET

This Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas has taken another major hit just a day after losing its co-main event.

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Headlined by flyweights Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira, this weekend's card at the UFC Apex facility was scheduled to feature 13 bouts as of the beginning of fight week.

Yesterday’s massive news that Khamzat Chimaev had withdrawn from a UFC Saudi Arabia main event against Robert Whittaker led to Ikram Aslikerov being pulled from the UFC Vegas 93 co-main event against Antonio Trócoli, and on weigh-in day the card took another hit when Tagir Ulanbekov weighed-in heavy for his fight with Joshua Van.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Ulanbekov was the only fighter to miss weight ahead of UFC Vegas 93, and after a brief period of deliberation it was ultimately decided that his matchup with Van would be scrapped from the card.

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The news is likely of particular frustration for Van, who is currently 3-0 in the UFC but has already had three different matchups fall through this year after he stopped Felipe Bunes in the second round of their fight back in January.

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

The weight miss is also a bad look for Ulanbekov, who is currently the UFC’s #12-ranked flyweight contender and has dealt with a myriad of fight cancellations since he made his promotional debut with a victory over Bruno Silva in 2020.

UFC Vegas 93 does still feature a fantastic flyweight main event and number of other intriguing bouts, and following the loss of Aliskerov vs. Trócoli and Ulankbekov vs. Van the 11-fight card currently looks like this:

Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 10:00 p.m. ET)

• Main Event: Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira
• Co-Main Event: Miles Johns vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
• Lucas Almeida vs. Timmy Cuamba
• Asu Almabaev vs. Jose Johnson
• Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand
• Adam Fugitt vs. Josh Quinlan

Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 7:00 p.m. ET)

• Nate Maness vs. Jimmy Flick
• Carli Judice vs. Gabriella Fernandes
• Jeka Saragih vs. Wetin Wilson
• Julia Polastri vs. Josefine Knutsson
• Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Melquizael Costa

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

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