UFC 309 has lost a couple of its original fights less than two weeks before the event.
According to MMAjunkie.com, Azamat Murzakanov has withdrawn from a preliminary light heavyweight clash against Nikita Krylov for undisclosed reasons. It’s unclear if Krylov will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.
Meanwhile, Lucas Almeida has pulled out of a featherweight showdown with David Onama, also for undisclosed reasons. MMAFighting.com was first to report the news. Onama is expected remain on the card against a different opponent.
UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
Murzakanov is undefeated in 14 professional outings — including four in the UFC. He is coming off a second-round knockout of Alonzo Menifield at UFC on ABC 7. Krylov has won three straight outings, including a first-round submission of Ryan Spann in his last Octagon appearance in March 2023.
Almeida is 2-2 in the promotion and last competed at UFC on ESPN 58, where he snapped a two-bout skid with a decision triumph over Timoth Cuamba. Onama, meanwhile, has earned back-to-back UFC wins against Jonathan Pearce and Gabriel Santos.
UFC 309 takes place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York and is headlined by a heavyweight title tilt between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. The main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT before moving to ESPNEWS/ESPN+/Hulu/FX at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
