UFC Baku has suffered another blow after Andreas Gustafsson was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Daniil Donchenko.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing Frontkick, the 35-year-old Swedish fighter experienced heart-related problems during his training camp and will not compete at UFC Fight Night Baku on 27 June. Reports claim Gustafsson’s condition became serious enough for his UFC career to be put on hold indefinitely while he focuses on his health.
The withdrawal leaves Donchenko without a confirmed opponent for the moment and adds another layer of uncertainty to the Baku card, which is due to take place at the National Gymnastics Arena.
Earlier, Italian middleweight Marvin Vettori was also ruled out of the event because of injury. He had been scheduled to face Ismail Naurdiev, but withdrew after suffering a rib problem during training camp. The UFC has not yet officially confirmed whether Naurdiev will receive a replacement opponent.
The event is still expected to be headlined by a lightweight clash between Azerbaijan’s Rafael Fiziev and Mexico’s Manuel Torres, one of the most anticipated bouts on the card. The meeting is particularly significant for local fans, with Fiziev set to fight in Baku in front of a home crowd.
The card also includes several notable match-ups, including Shara Magomedov against Michel Pereira, Ikram Aliskerov against Brunno Ferreira, Asu Almabayev against Charles Johnson, and Nazim Sadykhov against Matheus Camilo.
As with all UFC events, the final bout order and line-up may still change closer to fight night.
