UFC Mexico City has lost one half of its main event.
Asu Almabayev suffered an injury in training that has forced him out of his scheduled bout against two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno for the card taking place at Arena CDMX on Feb. 28.
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Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting following an initial report from AG Fight.
After the news first surfaced, Almabayev posted on Instagram that he suffered an arm injury in training just days before he was scheduled to leave for Mexico City.
“The situation is like this, I got an arm injury two days before our flight,” Almabayev wrote. “I don’t want to talk about the injury … no matter how much you [try], I can’t change it.”
The UFC is currently seeking a replacement opponent to face Moreno on the card, although nothing has been solidified at this time.
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It’s unfortunate news for Almabayev, who was getting his second crack at a main event after falling to Manel Kape in a short-notice opportunity this past March. Almabayev bounced back from that loss with two consecutive wins including a submission finish over one-time flyweight title challenger Alex Perez.
He was expected to step into enemy territory to face Moreno in Mexico but now he’ll have to wait for his arm to heal before booking another fight.
As for Moreno, he’s attempting to right the ship after his two-fight win streak was stopped this past December when he lost by TKO to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323. That dropped Moreno’s record to 2-3 in his past five fights.
It’s unclear if the UFC will find a suitable replacement, especially considering Moreno is expected to serve as the main event. For now, the search continues with Almabayev out of action due to injury.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.
