{"id":30977,"date":"2025-07-29T22:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T22:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/30977\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T22:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T22:10:10","slug":"heartbroken-amir-albazi-reveals-ufc-nac-pulled-him-from-main-event-for-his-own-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/30977\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Heartbroken’ Amir Albazi reveals UFC, NAC pulled him from main event for his own safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amir Albazi is out of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 71<\/a> \u2013 but not on his own accord.<\/p>\n

In his first statement since news he withdrew from his main event vs. Tatsuro Taira, Albazi (17-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) said Tuesday the decision not to compete was made by the UFC and Nevada Athletic Commission. He did not reveal injury specifics.<\/p>\n

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“I\u2019m heartbroken to announce that I won\u2019t be fighting on August 2nd,” Albazi wrote on Instagram<\/a>. “I finished my whole training camp and did everything I could, but I wasn\u2019t medically cleared in time. The UFC and the commission made the call for my safety. I respect their decision even though I wanted to step in to that cage and take care of business. I\u2019ll be back stronger and better. this is just a setback, not the end. Thank you to my fans, my team, and everyone who supports me through the ups and downs.”<\/p>\n

Albazi, was removed from the bout late last week, and was replaced by<\/a> South Korean up-and-comer Hyun Sung Park (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who will now face Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex.<\/p>\n

Albazi’s injury extends his stretch of inactivity beyond the nine-month mark. He’s only competed once since June 2023, having also undergone neck surgery<\/a> in January 2024. he returned in November and lost a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The current UFC on ESPN 71 lineup includes:<\/p>\n

Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park<\/p>\n

Chris Duncan vs. Mateusz Rebecki<\/p>\n

Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics<\/p>\n

Nora Cornolle vs. Karol Rosa<\/p>\n

Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski<\/p>\n

Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos<\/p>\n

Nick Klein vs. Andrey Pulyaev<\/p>\n

Nathan Fletcher vs. Rinya Nakamura<\/p>\n

Tresean Gore vs. Rodolfo Vieira<\/p>\n

Felipe Bunes vs. Rafael Estevam<\/p>\n

Piera Rodriguez vs. Ketlen Souza<\/p>\n

Austin Bashi vs. John Yannis<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Amir Albazi reveals UFC, NAC removed him from main event for ‘safety’<\/a><\/p>\n