Thiago Tavares out at UFC Fight Night 36, promotion seeking short-notice replacement
Thiago Tavares‘ featherweight debut will have to wait, as injury has forced him off next week’s UFC Fight Night 36 card.
MMAjunkie today confirmed with a source close to the fighter that Tavares (18-5-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) was forced to withdraw from the event and tat UFC officials are now seeking a replacement opponent for promotional newcomer Zubair Tuhugov (15-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 36. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss those details.
The night’s main card airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims that stream on UFC Fight Pass.
Featuring a middleweight headliner between Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi, UFC Fight Night 36 takes place Feb. 15 at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
Tavares, a native of nearby Florianopolis, openly campaigned for a spot on the card. He had expected to make his debut at featherweight after 14 fights under the UFC banner. Most recently, Tavares earned a first-round submission win over Justin Salas, moving to 3-1 in his past four fights.
A timetable for his return wasn’t immediately established.
Meanwhile, Tuhugov comes to the UFC on the strength of a six-fight winning streak. Fighting professionally since 2010, the 22-year-old Russian has earned six of his 15 career wins by way of stoppage, including five by knockout.
The latest UFC Fight Night 36 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi
Francis Carmont vs. Ronaldo Souza
Takenori Sato vs. Erick Silva
Viscardi Andrade vs. Nicholas Musoke
Zubair Tuhugov vs. TBA
PRELIMINARY CARD
Andy Ogle vs. Charles Oliveira
Cristiano Marcello vs. Joe Proctor
Rodrigo Damm vs. Ivan Jorge
Jesse Ronson vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Yuri Alcantara vs. Wilson Reis
Felipe Arantes vs. Maximo Blanco
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Albert Tumenov
