Getting the fight week cancellations out of the way early.
Not one, but two fights are gone from UFC Vegas 21 just like that.
A featherweight bout between Ricardo Ramos and Zubaira Tukhugov has been scrapped after Tukhugov withdrew due to injury. Unfortunately for Ramos, officials were unable to find a replacement opponent so he’s off the card as well (per MMA Fighting).
Ramos (14-3) fought just once in 2020, losing by first-round TKO to Lerone Murphy. The 25-year-old Brazilian nevertheless holds an impressive record of 5-2 in the UFC, with notable wins coming over Aiemann Zahabi and Kyung Ho Kang. His other Octagon defeat came against Said Nurmagomedov.
Tukhugov (19-5-1) began his UFC career 3-0, but a split decision loss to Renato Moicano soon followed and he was later suspended two years by USADA for a failed drug test. Upon his return in 2019, he went to a draw with Lerone Murphy, then started 2020 with a TKO of Kevin Aguilar before he dropped a close decision to Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 253 in September.
Meanwhile, a main card bout between Ben Rothwell and Phillipe Lins is off due to injury (also via MMA Fighting). That matchup is expected to be postponed to another event. Rothwell (38-13) came up short against Marcin Tybura back in October, whereas Lins (14-5) is still in search of a UFC win after disappointing outings against Tanner Boser and Andrei Arlovski.
UFC Vegas 21 has only the 12 fights now, with Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad still serving as the main event on Saturday, March 13 in Las Vegas. The entire card will stream exclusively on ESPN+.