A proposed welterweight clash pitting Abubakar
Nurmagomedov against Philip Rowe
will not happen this Saturday on
UFC on ABC 3 as originally planned.
Advertisement
The Las Vegas-based promotion
announced that troubles for both fighters resulted in the
cancellation of the bout. Visa issues forced Nurmagomedov out of
the fight, while an injury led to Rowe’s withdrawal.
As a result, UFC on ABC 3 will proceed with 12 fights. The event
takes place at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., and is headlined by a
featherweight duel between Brian
Ortega and Yair
Rodriguez. The main card airs on ABC and ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11
a.m. PT, while prelims are broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ at 11 a.m.
ET/8 a.m. PT.
The 32-year-old Nurmagomedov is 1-1 in UFC competition. He debuted
in the Octagon with a first-round submission loss to David
Zawada at UFC Fight Night 163 in November 2019 before
outpointing Jared
Gooden at UFC 260 in March 2021. The Dagestani has compiled a
16-3-1 career record that includes stints in Professional Fighters
League and World Series of Fighting.
After dropping a unanimous verdict to Gabriel
Green in his promotional debut, Rowe has rebounded to post
back-to-back technical knockout triumphs against Orion Cosce
and Jason Witt
in his last two UFC appearances. The former Dana White’s Contender
Series competitor is 9-3 as a pro, with all his victories coming
inside the distance.