Opponent Reports Gokhan Saki Injured, Out of UFC London Bout
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According to Safarov's Instagram account on Thursday, due to an undisclosed injury, Saki (1-2) has been forced to withdraw from his light heavyweight bout against Safarov (8-2) at UFC Fight Night 147 on March 16 in London. For now, Safarov intends to stay on this card and wait for a replacement. Safarov's translated statement reads: "The sad news! My rival Gokhan Saki was injured! Looking for a replacement. Get well soon @gokhansaki."
Safarov was attempting to rebound from two stoppage losses to Gian Villante in 2016 and Tyson Pedro in 2018, which were the first two losses of his career. Prior to those losses, Safarov had finished all eight of his opponents within the first two rounds, and he still has never competed beyond the second round.
Saki made his successful UFC debut back in 2017 with a knockout of Henrique da Silva, and returned to face Khalil Rountree at UFC 226 and was subsequently knocked out. While only three fights into his MMA career, the 35-year-old kickboxer Saki has competed almost 100 times in that sport with numerous championships, amassing a record of 83-12, 1 no-contest with 59 wins by knockout. This is the second time he has been forced to withdraw from a UFC bout already, as he suffered a knee injury in late 2017 and had to delay his bout with Rountree by seven months.
UFC Fight Night 147, also known as UFC on ESPN+ 5, will take place on March 16 at The O2 Arena in London. The event will be headlined by a welterweight showdown between Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal. Co-headlining the card will be another welterweight matchup, with Leon Edwards facing Gunnar Nelson.
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