Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has been forced to reshuffle its lineup for the upcoming UFC Fight Island 6 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, scheduled to go down this Sat. night (Oct. 17, 2020) inside Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
That’s because Croatian import Ante Delija was yanked from the co-main event slot over lingering contractual issues with Professional Fighters League (PFL), according to La Sueuer, giving the promotion little time to find a replacement for heavyweight opponent Ciryl Gane.
“The fight was canceled due to an administrative error, namely, I did not get the termination of the contract by the PFL and this news caught me when I had already come to Abu Dhabi,” Delija wrote on social media. “As an athlete, whose focus is exclusively on fighting, I did not deal with the logistical part of my performance. I was disappointed and taken aback by this whole situation, I had the ideal opportunity to perform as a co-main fight at an event in the best organization in the world, but it is what it is. I hope to be in the ring again soon.”
Delija (17-3) was expected to be part of the PFL lineup for 2020 but the promotion was forced to postpone its season in the wake of coronavirus. Some fighters were given an unconditional release; however, “Walking Trouble” does not appear to be one of them.
UFC is expected to release its updated lineup shortly.