It was supposed to be a flawless night in Chicago. The United Center was packed, the energy was electric, and Khamzat Chimaev was about to dismantle Dricus Du Plessis to take the middleweight crown. But if you were looking at the program that night and wondering why several names were missing, you weren't alone. The lead-up to the event was a total mess. UFC 319 cancelled fights became the main topic of conversation during fight week, as the card shrank and shifted faster than a flyweight's footwork.
Honestly, it felt like every time we refreshed Twitter, another matchup had bit the dust. By the time the first prelim started, the card had dropped to 13 fights. It’s kinda the nature of the beast in MMA, but this one felt particularly cursed for a few fan favorites.
The King Green Disaster
The biggest blow to the preliminary card was undoubtedly the loss of King Green (formerly Bobby Green). He was set to scrap with Carlos Diego Ferreira in a fight that had "Performance of the Night" written all over it. These are two veterans who don't know how to have a boring fight.
Then, everything went sideways.
Just 48 hours before the walkouts, Green posted a video that sent fans into a tailspin. He wasn't just "banged up." He was on crutches. "I can't even f***ing walk, guys," he told his followers. It was a rare moment of vulnerability for a guy who has spent the last two decades being one of the most active fighters on the roster.
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Because it happened so late, Ferreira was left out in the cold. He was already in the final stages of his weight cut—probably the most miserable part of a fighter's week—when he got the news. There was no time to find a replacement. Basically, weeks of a brutal training camp and the physical toll of cutting weight went down the drain for nothing.
The Bryan Battle Weight-Cut Nightmare
If the Green cancellation was sad, the Bryan Battle situation was just frustrating. "Pooh Bear" was scheduled to fight Nursulton Ruziboev. This was a massive opportunity for Battle to keep his momentum going at middleweight after moving back up from 170.
He didn't just miss weight. He missed it by a mile.
Battle stepped on the scale at 190 pounds. For a non-title middleweight fight, the limit is 186. Being four pounds over is a massive professional failure at this level. Initially, there was talk of a catchweight and Battle forfeiting 30% of his purse, but the UFC eventually pulled the plug.
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The consequences were swift and brutal. Not only was the fight scrapped from the UFC 319 lineup, but reports surfaced that the promotion actually released Battle. It’s a harsh reminder that in the modern UFC, missing weight by that much—especially when you've struggled with the scale across two different divisions—is a one-way ticket to the unemployment line.
TUF 33 Finale Gets Rescheduled
The "Ultimate Fighter" finales are usually a highlight of these big numbered events, but UFC 319 lost half of its TUF presence. While the flyweight final between Joseph Morales and Alibi Idiris went ahead (Morales won with a slick triangle choke), the welterweight final between Rodrigo Sezinando and Daniil Donchenko evaporated.
Sezinando suffered an injury during the final days of prep. Unlike a regular roster fight that just gets scrapped, a TUF finale represents a life-changing contract. You can't just throw a random replacement in there.
The UFC made the call to move the whole thing. Instead of Chicago, Sezinando and Donchenko were pushed back a month to "Noche UFC" in San Antonio. It was the right move for the integrity of the tournament, but it definitely left a hole in the UFC 319 prelims that a last-minute addition like Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan had to try and fill.
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Other Shifts and Substitutions
You've also got the "quiet" changes that people forget. Karine Silva was originally supposed to fight JJ Aldrich. Aldrich pulled out for undisclosed reasons, and Dione Barbosa stepped in. Silva ended up winning a unanimous decision, but the dynamic of the fight changed completely from the original booking.
Then there was the backup fighter drama. Nassourdine Imavov was the original safety net for the main event. If Du Plessis or Chimaev had tripped on a rug, Imavov was the guy. But he pulled out of that role a month prior because he wanted to focus on his own headliner against Caio Borralho. Borralho stepped in as the replacement backup, though fortunately, he wasn't needed.
Why This Matters for Your Next Bet
When you see this many UFC 319 cancelled fights, it changes the "vibe" of the locker room and the pacing of the broadcast. For bettors and fans, it’s a lesson in patience.
- Don't lock in parlays too early: If you had Green or Battle in a multi-leg bet early in the week, your whole slip was likely voided or adjusted.
- Watch the scale: Battle’s miss wasn't a total surprise to those who followed his camp rumors.
- Short-notice value: Baisangur Susurkaev came in as a late replacement and absolutely dominated, proving that the guys the UFC "scrambles" to find are often hungry killers looking for a highlight.
If you're looking to keep track of the upcoming schedule to avoid the heartbreak of more cancellations, you should start by checking the official UFC rankings and medical suspension lists. Those often give you a "tell" on who might be pulling out of their next scheduled bout before the news actually breaks.