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The former UFC heavyweight champion was hospitalized with a bacterial infection.
The UFC’s return to Moscow, Russia will no long feature Junior dos Santos in the main event.
Following a report from RT Sport, MMA Fighting confirmed on Tuesday that the former UFC heavyweight champion is out of his Nov. 9 showdown with Alexander Volkov. The Brazilian was reportedly hospitalized following a bacterial infection in his leg, which required two procedures to remove it.
Dos Santos (21-6) was looking to get back in the win column after his quick TKO loss to Francis Ngannou in the UFC Minneapolis main event. He’d entered that June matchup on a three-fight winning streak, including TKOs over Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis.
Volkov (30-7) has not fought since his dramatic KO loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC 229. He was well on his way to victory when Lewis pulled off a stunning third-round finish with just 11 seconds left in the contest. The Russian was scheduled to headline UFC St. Petersburg earlier this April against Alistair Overeem, but withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
It is not yet known if Volkov will remain on the card, but if he doesn’t, presumably the co-main event between featherweight contenders Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar would become the new headliner.
UFC Moscow airs exclusively on ESPN+.