Andre
Muniz will not remain on the UFC
on ESPN 34 card against a replacement opponent.
MMAFighting.com was first to report Muniz’s exit from the card.
Promotion officials were reportedly seeking a replacement opponent
for the Brazilian after original foe Uriah Hall
pulled out of the matchup. While Dricus Du
Plessis revealed on “The MMA Hour” that he was among those
offered the fight, ultimately no one accepted a short-notice
matchup with the Brazilian submission specialist.
UFC on ESPN 34 takes place on April 16 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas
and is headlined by a welterweight showdown between Vicente
Luque and Belal
Muhammad. Muniz vs. Hall was slated to be the card’s co-main
event.
Muniz, 32, has won his last eight professional bouts. The Dana
White’s Contender Series alum has bested his last three UFC
opponents — Eryk Anders,
Ronaldo
Souza and Bartosz
Fabinski — via first-round submission. “Sergipano” is 22-4 over
the course of a career that began in 2009, with 15 victories coming
via tapout.