UFC on ESPN+ 38 has lost its main event as Ciryl Gane vs Ante Delija has been scrapped from the event. A French media source first reported the news on Wednesday. Supposedly, Delija, who was set to make his debut in the UFC this weekend has had contractual issues with his previous promotion, PFL.
Unlucky Gane
Highly touted French heavyweight, Ciryl Gane hasn’t had much luck as of late. After debuting at just 3-0, the heavy-hitter eased through his first two opponents. His debut saw him notch an arm-triangle choke victory against Raphael Pessoa. Just two months later, Gane was back in the octagon, this time taking on Don’Tale Mayes. A rare heel hook submission was how Gane finished this one.
His most recent bout saw him prove he can go the distance, defeating the on-form Tanner Boser, this time at UFC on ESPN+ 23. The Frenchman has been out of action since this bout, but it can’t be argued that he hasn’t tried to get a fight.
The fight against Delija marks the fourth bout that Ciryl Gane has been scheduled for that’s fallen out. Firstly, he was scheduled to face off against Shamil Abdurakhimov. Gane withdrew from this bout with an injury. He was then matched with Sergey Pavlovich. On this occasion, it was Pavlovich who withdrew. ‘Bon Gamin’ was then re-booked against Abdurakhimov, however, the Russian withdrew with an injury. Abdurakhimov was replaced with Delija, however, this won’t go ahead either.
We are waiting on an official announcement later today to confirm the news.
UFC on ESPN+ 38 Headliner
The card is headlined by Chan Sung Jung and Brain Ortega (finally). This is a crucial fight in the featherweight division and could reasonably produce the next title challenger.
Jung has been (almost) flawless since his return from military service and holds the momentum advantage. Having finished all of his victories via knockout since his return, Jung holds scary power at 145lbs.
Ortega has been out of action for almost two years, following an unsuccessful title challenge against Max Holloway. T-City was on the wrong end of one of the greatest title fight performances the sport has ever seen. He looks to bounce back against Jung on Fight Island and remind everyone how good he can be.
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