Ilia Topuria, Rodolfo Vieira Medically Scratched From UFC 270

145. I'm not allowed on the official scale cause the fight is off.
9days. I did my part. pic.twitter.com/Vwy0N3ATEr

— CharlesAirJourdain (@JourdainAir) January 21, 2022

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The first Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view of 2022 took a pair of huge hits before weigh-ins began.

Early on Friday morning, ESPN Deportes reported that Rodolfo Vieira had been forced out of his UFC 270 meeting with Wellington Turman due to medical reasons. Per MMA Fighting, Turman will be paid his show money, and it is not certain if the fight will be rebooked or if the two will face different opponents in the future. The promotion confirmed the loss of this fight shortly before the weigh-ins with an updated lineup excluding the middleweight matchup. The welterweight pairing between Trevin Giles and Michael Morales has since been elevated to the main card.

Vieira was aiming to keep his 100% finish rate intact by taking on Turman, while also looking to become the first man to submit is fellow countryman. “The Black Belt Hunter” surged on to the scene with a pair of arm-triangle chokes over Oskar Piechota and Saparbek Safarov in 2019 and 2020, but a 2021 setback to Anthony Hernandez – a submission loss for the grappling star – halted most of his momentum after he fatigued in the second round and succumbed to a guillotine choke. The 32-year-old bounced back a few months later to tap Dustin Stoltzfus, thereby pushing his submission win rate to 88%.

Turman was also pursuing his own win streak in this 185-pound tilt, as he previously defeated Sam Alvey by bizarre split decision after losing two points to eye pokes in the third round. As a pro, Turman’s finish rate is below his former prospective opponent of Vieira, with only 65% of his victories coming inside the distance. In his last seven wins, he has earned five decision verdicts as well as two first-round tapouts.

Later on Friday morning, Eurosport Espana broke the news that Ilia Topuria could no longer compete at UFC 270 due to a failed weight cut. Topuria was expected to take on late replacement Charles Jourdain – who himself confirmed the fight was off, while also declaring that he had reached the 145-pound mark even taking the fight a week ago – who was stepping in for Movsar Evloev.

At Wednesday’s UFC Media Day, Topuria expressed that his former opponent Evloev should not be considered undefeated given that he withdrew from their matchup. As of now, Topuria remains unbeaten as a professional after 11 fights, as his withdrawal from UFC 270 has not added a loss to his record. The Spaniard born in Germany with Georgian nationality made a splash in his promotional debut when he took home a decision over highly touted prospect Youssef Zalal in 2020. A pair of first-round knockouts over Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall in 2020 and 2021 boosted his stock and placed him in rankings consideration.

Jourdain was hoping to make the most of a short-notice opportunity, taking the match last Thursday when Evloev fell ill from COVID-19. The high-flying Jourdain was bringing a 92% stoppage rate into this meeting, with his last win coming on the scorecards over Andre Ewell the first of his career. “Air” Jourdain holds an even UFC record of three wins, three losses and a draw since appearing under its banner in 2019.

UFC 270 will carry on with 11 fights at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 22. The two title fights remain intact, with the headliner a heavyweight championship unification battle between champ Francis Ngannou and interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo will face one another for the third time in a row with flyweight gold on the line.