With just two weeks remaining UFC 257 has lost one of its main attractions.
According to a recent report by MMA Junkie, featherweight contender Hakeem Dawodu has been forced out of his bout with Shane Burgos due to a shoulder injury. The bout has yet to be officially canceled by UFC and it is unknown at this time if the promotion is looking for a replacement to fight Burgos.
Dawodu, 29, has been on an absolute tear in the UFC’s stacked featherweight division. Since losing his Octagon debut just shy of three years ago “Mean” has racked off five-straights wins as he closes in on the division’s top 15. This upcoming matchup with Burgos was supposed to give Dawodu the opportunity to fight his way into the rankings, but now he’ll have to wait a little longer in 2021.
UFC 257 will take place on Jan. 23 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., and feature a main event rematch between former UFC champion Conor McGregor and lightweight contender Dustin Poirier. The updated UFC 257 fight card lineup is as follows:
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree
Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez
Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
Sergey Morozov vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Shane Burgos vs. TBA
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan
Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez
For more UFC 257 fight card news and coverage click here.