Tanner Boser vs. Sergei Pavlovich off UFC on ESPN 31 due to travel issues

UFC on ESPN 31 has lost a marquee heavyweight bout.

Tanner Boser vs. Sergei Pavlovich will no longer take place Dec. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas due to travel issues from Boser’s side.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the news to MMA Junkie on Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Boser addressed his withdrawal on social media but did not specify a reason.

“Sorry guys. I hope to have this resolved soon,” he tweeted.

Sorry guys. I hope to have this resolved soon. https://t.co/4U5dvZDTyB

— Tanner Boser (@BulldozerBoser) November 10, 2021

Boser (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was looking to continue riding the momentum from his second-round knockout of Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Fight Night 190 in June, which snapped a two-fight losing skid.

Meanwhile, Pavlovich (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was set to make the walk for the first time in over two years. The 29-year-old Russian hasn’t competed since his first-round finish of Maurice Greene in October 2019.

The latest lineup for UFC on ESPN 31 includes:

• Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo
• Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Claudio Puelles
• Rafael Fiziev vs. Brad Riddell
• Montserrat Conejo vs. Mallory Martin
• Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares
• Bryan Barberena vs. Matt Brown
• Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hil
• Manel Kape vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
• Jake Matthews vs. Jeremiah Wells
• Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos