The hits to UFC Saudi Arabia just keep on coming, with SD Dumas (Sedriques Dumas) announcing on Monday that he had been forced off of the card.
Dumas had been expected to face Denis Tiuliulin at the event, which is expected to air its main card on U.S. broadcast network ABC. Dumas was replacing Abu Azaitar in the fight.
“Sorry to my fans and teams. The fight has been postponed because of VA and flight reasons,” Dumas wrote on Twitter/X, addressing the matter. “Stay tuned. We should have a soon date available soon. Hope we can ride it back.”
Dumas (9-2) was looking to bounce back from a loss against Nursulton Ruziboev in the bout. He’s 2-2 under the UFC banner since picking up a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022.
Tiuliulin (11-9) has lost three straight. It’s unclear whether the promotion will seek a replacement opponent for the middleweight fight.
On Monday, Cageside Press confirmed news that Felipe Lima was stepping into UFC Saudi Arabia on short notice against Muhammad Naimov. The UFC on ABC 6 card’s main event also took a hit in recent days, with Khamzat Chimaev replaced by Ikram Aliskerov.
The full card set for June 22, 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia looks as follows:
- Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Joilton Lutterbach
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby
- Kang Kyung-ho vs. Muin Gafurov
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
- Xiao Long vs. Lee Chang-ho
- Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima
