LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 03: UFC President Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 272 presser … [+]
UFC 312 has taken a hit.
The flyweight fight between Rei Tsuruya and Stewart Nicoll that was scheduled to take place in the preliminary has been canceled and according to Marcel Dorff of Tapology, there will be no replacements added to fill the spot.
Nicoll was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 29: Rei Tsuruya of Japan reacts after his victory against Carlos Hernandez … [+]
The fight was decided to give fans an opportunity to see Tsuruya, a 22-year-old Japanese prospect, in action on a big stage. He holds a perfect 10-0 record as a professional and is 1-0 since his UFC contract.
UFC president Dana White and Co. they’re probably being careful and deliberate about Tsuruya’s matches early in his career. The UFC wants to make a mark in Japan, and they know they’ll need stars from the region to help make that happen.
Nicoll, a native of Redcliffe, Queensland, lost his UFC debut to Jesus Aguilar in August 2024 at UFC 305.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 15: Stewart Nicoll poses for a portrait during a UFC photo shoot at … [+]
Nicoll’s chance to return will have to happen at a later date.
The two title bouts scheduled for UFC 312 are still underway. Dricus du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland in a rematch.
In the co-main event, UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang will defend her title against Tatiana Suarez.
Here’s an updated look at the card scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 8, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
- (c) Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland – UFC Middleweight Championship
- (c) Weili Zhang vs. Tatiana Suarez – UFC Women’s Strawweight
- Quinn Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli – Lightweight
- Tallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa – Heavyweight
- Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev – Lightweight
- Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos – Featherweight
- Cody Haddon vs Aleksandre Topuria – Bantamweight
- Cong Wang vs. Bruna Brasil – Flyweight
- Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato – Lightweight
- Kody Steele vs. Rongzhu – Lightweight
- Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef – Lightweight
- Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado – Lightweight
- Hyun Sung Park vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel – Flyweight
What’s next for the UFC?
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 06: (L-R) Opponents Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia and Merab Dvalishvili … [+]
Before the UFC makes its way Down Under, the promotion will make a stop in Inglewood, California, for UFC 311 on Saturday, January 18.
Like UFC 312, the Intuit Dome event will feature two world championship bouts. Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight championship against Arman Tsarukyan.
In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Here’s a look at the full card and viewing information.
UFC 311 Main Card (10 p.m. ET and ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
- Welterweight title fight: Islam Makhachev (champion) vs. (1) Arman Tsarukyan
- Bantamweight title fight: Merab Dvalishvili (champion) vs. (2) Umar Nurmagomedov
- Lightweight fight: (9) Beneil Dariush vs. (10) Renato Moicano
- Lightweight bout: (2) Jiří Procházka vs. (3) Jamahal Hill
- Middleweight bout: Kevin Holland vs. Reinier de Ridder
UFC 311 Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS and ESPN+)
- Lightweight bout: (13) Bogdan Guskov vs. Billy Elekana
- Bantamweight fight: Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos
- Heavyweight fight: (6) Jailton Almeida vs. (7) Serghei Spivac
- Middleweight bout: Zach Reese vs. Azamat Bekoev
UFC 311 preliminary card (6 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+)
- Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
- Women’s bantamweight bout: Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez
- Bantamweight bout: Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov
- Bantamweight fight: Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj
- Flyweight fight: (11) Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clayton Carpenter
