With Shamil Abdurakhimov out, Ciryl Gane to fight Ante Delija at Oct. 17 UFC event

MMA News

With Shamil Abdurakhimov out, Ciryl Gane to fight Ante Delija at Oct. 17 UFC event

The matchup between Ciryl Gane and Shamil Abdurakhimov has fallen through once again.

The UFC heavyweight bout, which was scheduled for Oct. 17, will no longer happen after Adurakhimov (20-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) withdrew for undisclosed reasons. In his place, promotional newcomer Ante Delija will step in to fight Gane (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news Monday but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement. Russian reporter Igor Lazorin was first to report the withdrawal before French outlet La Sueur initially reported the replacement.

Gane and Abdurakhimov had a previous booking fall through earlier this year. Scheduled to fight at UFC 249 on April 18, Gane pulled out due to a pneumothorax. The event was eventually postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of his six professional fights, Gane has finished five of them. His lone decision win came in December 2019 against Tanner Boser at UFC on ESPN+ 23. Delija, from Croatia, is on a three fight winning streak with victories in Rizin, PFL and KSW.

The Oct. 17 event will take place at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – the UFC’s third of five during its second stint on “Fight Island.”

The latest lineup for the UFC’s Oct. 17 event includes:

  • Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Ante Delija vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Poliana Botelho vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Magomed Mustafaev
  • Muslim Salikhov vs. Claudio Silva
  • Jun Yong Park vs. John Phillips
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Maxim Grishin
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Mark Striegl
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. David Zawada
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam

With Shamil Abdurakhimov out, Ciryl Gane to fight Ante Delija at Oct. 17 UFC event