Less than day out from the biggest fight of his career, undefeated lightweight Ottman Azaitar has been cut by the UFC for breaching the organisation’s COVID-19 Fight Island protocols.
He was slated to face Matt Frevola at UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The announcement was made during Saturday’s weigh-ins, when the UFC revealed Azaitar's fight with Matt Frevola would no longer be taking place due to "a recent violation of the health and safety protocols."
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“He [Azaitar]and his team cut off their wrist bands, gave them to somebody outside the bubble, I don’t know how they even did it,” UFC President Dana White told BT Sport. “That guy taped them, showed up here with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across four balconies, went in his room dropped the bag off, changed his clothes, and then left.
“Now when security tried to stop him, he wouldn’t stop, either way, and yeah, it’s just... he’s gone. He’s no longer a UFC fighter and he’s not fighting tonight.”
Arman Tsarukyan will now fight Frevola at catchweight as the final fight of the UFC 257 prelims.
Tsarukyan’s scheduled lightweight bout with Nasrat Haqparast was scratched after Haqparast pulled out due to illness but, due to Tsarukyan missing weight twice at the weigh-ins, the fight will now be at a catchweight of 157lbs.
According to MMA Junkie, Tsarukyan is forfeiting 20 per cent of his purse.
Since joining the UFC in 2019, Azaitar was 2-0 with a KO win over Teemu Packalen at UFC 242 and then dusting Khama Worthy via a TKO win in September, 2020, taking his pro record to 13-0.
24-year-old Tsarukyan will now get his shot to impress in front of one of the biggest UFC PPV crowds of the year, with his 15-2 record at risk against Frevola’s 8-1-1.
