UFC on ESPN+ 31 will no more time be headlined by a pivotal women’s bantamweight bout.
The initial principal celebration amongst previous champion Holly Holm and top contender Irene Aldana has been postponed to a later date. In its place, a middleweight showdown between Derek Brunson and undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan will serve as the Aug. 1 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It will stay a three-spherical battle irrespective of getting elevated to headliner position.
The information was declared Wednesday by UFC president Dana White while performing an Instagram reside with Ronda Rousey, who manages Shahbazyan. White didn’t present why the modify was produced, but a man or woman with understanding of the condition advised MMA Junkie it was Aldana who withdrew for undisclosed good reasons.
Shahbazyan (11- MMA, 4- UFC) is an unbeaten mounting contender in the UFC’s 185-pound division. The 22-12 months-old fighter is coming off a head-kick knockout of Brad Tavares very last November at UFC 244.
In the meantime, Brunson (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), a longtime contender in the division, is riding a two-fight winning streak. The 36-yr-old previous fought in August 2019 when he outpointed Ian Heinisch.
This marks the third time that Brunson vs. Shahbazyan has been booked after bookings in March and April fell by means of.
With the improve, the present-day UFC on ESPN+ 31 lineup involves:
Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely
Trevin Giles vs. Jun Yong Park
Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
Ray Borg vs. Nathan Maness
Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders
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