The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first offering of 2024 will
have a slightly different look than originally anticipated after
changes to multiple bouts on the card.
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Yana
Santos has withdrawn from a proposed bantamweight booking
against Norma
Dumont after suffering a broken nose.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed Santos’ exit after the fighter
announced the injury on social media. It is currently unknown if
Dumont will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.
Elsewhere, Matthew
Semelsberger will replace Bassil
Hafez and lock horns with Preston
Parsons in a welterweight scrap. Parsons confirmed the new
pairing on social media. The reason for Hafez’s withdrawal is
currently unknown. Semelsberger has lost three of his last four
Octagon appearances, including a third-round TKO defeat against
Uros
Medic in his most recent outing at UFC 291. Parsons suffered a
split-decision setback against Trevin
Giles at UFC on ESPN 43 in his lone bout of 2023.
Finally, Denys
Bondar is out of a flyweight matchup with Felipe
Bunes. As a result, Joshua Van
will step in on short notice against the Brazilian newcomer.
MMAjunkie.com was first to confirm the change. Van has been
victorious in nine of his 10 professional fights, including
back-to-back triumphs over Zhalgas
Zhumagulov and Kevin
Borjas to kick off his UFC tenure. Bunes will enter his first
Octagon foray on the heels of two straight wins under the Legacy
Fighting Alliance banner.
UFC Fight Night 234 takes place on Jan. 13 at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between
Magomed
Ankalaev and Johnny
Walker.