UFC 312 has lost an intriguing flyweight contest.
MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that a scheduled 125-pound bout between Rei Tsuruya (10-0) and Stewart Nicoll (8-1) is off the Feb. 8 pay-per-view in Sydney after Nicoll was forced to withdraw due to injury.
The news was first reported by Eurosport.
Tsuruya also acknowledged the news on social media.
It’s unclear if matchmakers are working to keep Tsuruya on the card with a replacement opponent, but former UFC fighter Zhalgas Zhumagulov has volunteered his services.
Tsuruya has had a fine start to his MMA career after turning pro in 2021. He is currently 10-0, which includes a unanimous decision win over Carlos Hernandez in his octagon debut this past June at UFC 303. Prior to that, Tsuruya earned a UFC contract with a first-round TKO of Jiniushiyue in a Road to UFC finale bout.
UFC 312 is headlined by a pair of title bouts as middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis meets Sean Strickland in a main event grudge match, and Zhang Weili defends her strawweight title against the undefeated Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event.