(L-R) Opponents Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor pose face off for media during the UFC 257 press conference event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 21, 2021 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Nasrat Haqparast is out of the UFC 257 event as many fights were cancelled on the day of the weigh in
There was good news and bad news for UFC fans ahead of the latest event. While the UFC 257 weigh in went off without a hitch for the big names such as Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Dan Hooker and the likes.
The same cannot be said about the fighters on the undercard. It isn’t new for fights to be cancelled just before the event, especially during Covid-19 times, but two fights have been taken off, for now.
Nasrat Haqparast was to fight Arman Tsarukyan. However, Haqparast withdrew from the clash due to an illness while his rival missed weight by one pound.
There was more to come as Ottman Azaitar and Matt Frevola were also set to meet. However, Azaitar pulled out due to an unknown reason.
While the UFC is trying to ensure another fight happens, possibly with Frevola taking on Tsarukyan, at the time of this piece, there are only 10 fights confirmed on the card.
This would come as a bit of a blow to the first PPV of the year. Many people would be looking to watch some of the best stars in the UFC but also get a glimpse of some of the rising stars.
While it is unlikely that someone else could be brought in to fight, they could still ensure that Frevola and Tsarukyan meet.
It will be interesting to see what they plan to do with this. However, they could also go ahead with the card as is with 11 fights, something that Aaron Bronsteter confirmed was in the works.
Hopefully, no one else pulls out as many are keen on watching Poirier vs McGregor. Hooker vs Michael Chandler is the other big fight and there could be fireworks at UFC 257.
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