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Azamat Murzakanov now faces Brendson Ribeiro at UFC 316 after Brazilian light heavyweight Johnny Walker was forced off the June 7 pay-per-view event in Newark, N.J., MMA Fighting confirmed following a report from Super Lutas.
It’s still unclear what led to Walker’s removal from the bout.
Murzakanov (14-0) looks to extend his UFC winning streak to five in New Jersey. He hasn’t fought since a bonus-winning knockout over Alonzo Menifield in August 2024, his second $50,000 award in the company. The Brave CF openweight grand prix winner has also scored UFC stoppages against Tafon Nchukwi and Devin Clark.
Former Shooto Brazil champion Ribeiro (17-7, 1 no contest) had his back against the wall after a 0-2 start in the promotion versus Zhang Mingyang and Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, but turned things around with a lackluster decision over Caio Machado and a second-round kimura win against previously unbeaten Diyar Nurgozhay.
UFC 316 take place at Prudential Center and features men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his title in a main event rematch with Sean O’Malley. Julianna Peña co-headlines the show, putting the women’s 135-pound belt on the line against two-time PFL champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.