Moments ago (Sat. March 30, 2024), UFC interrupted its UFC Atlantic City broadcast to inform viewers that the next “Prelim” bout in line, Viktoria Dudakova vs. Melissa Gatto, was canceled due to a Dudakova medical issue. At the moment, there has been no further information released regarding what is ailing Dudakova.
Dudakova (8-0) is an undefeated Strawweight prospect. The 25-year-old Russian is 2-0 in the UFC and won both bouts last year. Conversely, Gatto (8-2-2) has evenly split four fights inside the Octagon, but she’s faced a higher level of competition, including the likes of Ariane Lipski and Tracy Cortez.
Gatto was a slight favorite ahead of the contest.
Interestingly, it’s not the first time Dudakova has dealt with medical issues during a UFC fight week. In her last appearance, she revealed AFTER her win over Jinh Yu Frey that she was dealing with a staph infection and “bloodied butt.” Hopefully, her current situation is entirely unrelated.
UFC may rebook the bout in the near future or move on from the match up entirely. We’ll likely find out more at tonight’s post-fight press conference.
For complete Atlantic City results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.