UFC 308 fight week began with one more fight than it has now.
The bantamweight bout between Said Nurmagomedov and Daniel Santos has been canceled, the promotion confirmed Wednesday. The card will continue with 13 bouts, which take place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
Santos (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was “removed” from the bout according to the UFC, though no specific reason for the removal was cited. It’s Santos’ second-straight withdrawal.
Though he hasn’t competed since June 2023, Santos currently rides a two-fight winning streak consisting of victories over John Castaneda and Johnny Munoz.
Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has not competed since October 2023 when he bounced back into the win column with a 73-second submission victory over Muin Gafurov.
With the removal, the UFC 308 fight card includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 2 p.m. ET)
- Champ Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker
- Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
- Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 10 a.m. ET)
- Rafael dos Anjos vs. Geoff Neal
- Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos
- Brunno Ferreira vs. Abus Magomedov
- Chris Barnett vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
- Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
- Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
