Fighters make weight, UFC cancels bout anyway

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Jared Vanderaa successfully made weight for his UFC Vegas 44 showdown opposite Azamat Murzakanov, but was subsequently yanked from the card after failing his pre-fight medical exam.

LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 79 On ESPN+

HIGH STAKES LIGHTWEIGHT MATCHUP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to UFC APEX on Sat., Sept. 23, 2023, with a high stakes 155-pound showdown as No. 6-ranked contender, Rafael Fiziev, takes on No. 7-seeded Mateusz Gamrot. In UFC Vegas 79’s co-main event, No. 12-ranked Featherweight contender, Bryce Mitchell, steps back into the Octagon against No. 13-seeded Dan Ige.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

• STREAM NOW

That means Murzakanov, who previously watched his Philipe Lins fight go down in flames, will also hit the showers a day early. The UFC Vegas 44 fight card, taking place tomorrow night (Sat., Dec. 4, 2021) at APEX, will proceed with 14 fights.

Vanderaa (12-6) is looking to rebound from his technical knockout loss to Alexander Romanov last October. “The Mountain,” a product of Dana White’s “Contender Series,” is just 1-2 inside the Octagon, getting finished in both losses.

As for Murzakanov (10-0), who also graduated Dana White’s “Contender Series,” he’s likely to drop back down to light heavyweight for his UFC debut in early 2022, unless something crazy happens within the next two weeks and “The Professional” is asked to fill in.

To see the updated UFC Vegas 44 fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ lineup click here.