DIVISION ON NOTICE
@AmirAlbazi
– welcome to the Octagon!Action continues on @ESPN / E+ for
#UFCFightIsland2 pic.twitter.com/I6NZJCbNCM
— UFC (@ufc)
July 18, 2020
A proposed flyweight bout pitting Amir Albazi
against Zhalgas
Zhumagulov has been pulled from the
UFC on ESPN 18 lineup.
Russian outlet TASS
was first to report the news. The cancellation reportedly occurred
because of a passport issue involving Zhumagulov. As it stands now,
UFC on ESPN 18 will move forward with 11 fights.
UFC on ESPN 18 takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas
and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Curtis
Blaydes and Derrick
Lewis. The main card airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7
p.m. PT, while the prelims stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m.
PT.
A veteran of Bellator and Brave CF, Albazi made successful Octagon
debut at UFC Fight Night 172, where he submitted Malcolm
Gordon with a triangle choke in the opening stanza on July
18.
Zhumagulov, meanwhile, droppped a unanimous verdict to Raulian
Paiva in his first promotional foray at UFC 251 on July 11.