UFC Fight Night Seattle's Lineup Experiences Significant Setback
UFC Seattle's shining card is starting to lose its luster. First, Dominick Cruz's co-main event was scrapped due to his retirement-inducing shoulder injury. Now, another main event contender, Edson Barboza, has bitten the dust with an injury, forcing him to withdraw from his bout against KO master Steven Garcia.
Marcel Dorff of Tapology announced the news, leaving Garcia in dire need of a new foe. With the event scheduled for February 22, Garcia would require an opponent willing to step up and duke it out on short notice. It's been done before, as Mashrabjon Ruziboev recently substituted for Kaue Fernandes on a four-day notice for a faceoff against Jared Gordon.
Barboza, 39, was preparing for a comeback after suffering a unanimous-decision loss to Lerone Murphy in May 2024. Prior victories over Billy Quarantillo (due to injury) and a split decision over Sodiq Yusuff put him on a two-win streak before the Murphy setback.
As of now, Garcia's upcoming adversary remains a mystery. With five straight victories, including five KOs, Garcia is looking to move up the featherweight rankings. Given Barboza's current No. 15 spot, Garcia might prefer an opponent with similar rankings instead of an unranked fighter.
So far, this is what we know about the UFC Seattle card:
- Henry Cejudo vs. Yadong Song - Bantamweight
- Brendan Allen vs. Alexander Hernandez - Middleweight
- Jean Silva vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan - Featherweight
- Ketlen Vieira vs. Macy Chiasson - Bantamweight
- Ion Cutelaba vs. Ibo Aslan - Light Heavyweight
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Raffael Cerqueira - Light Heavyweight
- Ricky Simón vs. Javid Basharat - Bantamweight
- Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa - Featherweight
- Nick Klein vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik - Middleweight
- Adam Fugitt vs. Billy Ray Goff - Welterweight
The main event of Cejudo vs. Song allegedly remains unaffected. If you're a Silva fan, mark his bout as a must-watch. Vieira-Chiasson is another thrilling fight to look forward to, and Klein-Abdul-Malik is a fierce battle between two talented prospects from Dana White's Contender Series.
In other news, Jared Cannonier will defend his ranking against Gregory Rodrigues in the UFC Vegas 102 event on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. Below is the entire card:
- No. 7 - Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues - Middleweight (185 lbs)
- No. 12 - Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal - Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov - Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews - Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dylan Budka - Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Andre Petroski - Middleweight (185 lbs)
- No. 12 - Julia Avila vs. No. 13 - Jacqueline Cavalcanti - Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith - Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Valter Walker vs. No. 15 - Don’Tale Mayes - Heavyweight (265 lbs)
- Rafael Estevam vs. Jesus Aguilar - Flyweight (125 lbs)
- No. 13 - Angela Hill vs. Ketlen Souza - Strawweight (115 lbs)
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Khaos Williams - Welterweight (170 lbs)
- Jared Gordon vs. Mashrabjon Ruziboev - Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Despite the injuries to Dominick Cruz and Edson Barboza, Dana White and the UFC are determined to keep the UFC Seattle card intact.
- In light of Edson Barboza's withdrawal, Steven Garcia is seeking a replacement for their scheduled bout, ideally an opponent with similar rankings rather than an unranked fighter.
- UFC President Dana White announced that unranked Steven Garcia will face undisclosed opposition, as the UFC Seattle card continues to evolve.
- In the midst of the UFC Seattle card changes, unranked fighter Steven Garcia awaits his new opponent, hoping to maintain his five-fight win streak, including five KOs.
- Although Edson Barboza's absence from UFC Seattle's lineup is a disappointment, unranked opponent Steven Garcia is ready to seize the opportunity and make his mark on the promotion.
