Injury has forced Beneil Dariush out of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 13 event, and UFC officials are currently seeking a lightweight opponent to meet Drakkar Klose.
MMA Junkie today learned from promotion officials that Dariush had to withdraw from the card, which takes place at Golden1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. A timeline for his return was not immediately established.
With the late notice, replacement candidates would likely need prior clearance for competing in the U.S.
Klose (10-1-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was in action most recently in December, earning a decision win over Bobby Green. It was his second consecutive victory in the promotion following a July 2018 win over Lando Vannata at UFC 226. Those two wins followed the lone loss of Klose’s professional career, a UFC 218 decision loss to David Teymur.
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Germaine de Randamie vs. Aspen Ladd
- Urijah Faber vs. Ricky Simon
- Mirsad Bektic vs. Josh Emmett
- Drakkar Klose vs. opponent TBA
- Karl Roberson vs. Wellington Turman
- Cezar Ferreira vs. Marvin Vettori
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
- John Allan vs. Mike Rodriguez
- Andre Fili vs. Sheymon Moraes
- Nicco Montano vs. Julianna Pena
- Darren Elkins vs. Ryan Hall
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Liu Pingyuan
- Livinha Souza vs. Brianna VanBuren
- Benito Lopez vs. Vince Morales
For more on UFC on ESPN+ 13, check out the UFC Schedule.
