UFC Saudi Arabia Gets New Main Card Fight + Prelim Cancelled

UFC signs a promotional champ to come to Saudi Arabia.

Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports

It's not just the main event that's seen some shifting around as we approach UFC Saudi Arabia this weekend. Two more fights on the undercard have seen some late-notice changes - some would argue for the better.

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UFC Signs Oktagon Champ to Fight on Short Notice at UFC Saudi Arabia

The UFC has made a short-notice signing of 12-1 former OKTAGON bantamweight champion Felipe Lima, who will fill in for an injured Melsik Baghdasaryan against Muhammad Naimov on the main card.

Lima rides a cool 11-fight winning streak, not dropping a fight since his professional MMA debut. He makes a tough debut against Naimov, who is three inches taller and considerably bigger at bantamweight.

Chris Unger - Zuffa LLC Getty Images

Naimov put Tajikistan on the map in the UFC with his explosive TKO against Jamie Mullarkey in 2023. He'll be defending his six fight winning streak against Lima this weekend and it's not one to miss.

UFC Saudi Arabia Prelim Fight Cancelled

Sedrique Dumas announced late Monday night that his fight with Denis Tiuliulin on the Fight Night prelims will not proceed. Dumas cited Visa and flight issues as the cause but assured fans he should have more fight news soon.

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The loss of Dumas-Tiuliulin knocks the card down to 11 fights, granted the UFC doesn't make another late-notice replacement. This means fans tuning in for the inaugural Saudi Arabia event might suffer a slight delay in broadcasting times.

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