ABU DHABI – Welsh middleweight John Phillips is in need of a new opponent at next week’s UFC on ESPN 13.
Dusko Todorovic has been forced to withdraw from the card due to a potential medical issue, MMA Junkie has learned from a person with knowledge of the decision.
UFC officials are currently seeking a replacement opponent to compete at the July 15 event, which takes place at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi and airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Phillips (22-9 MMA, 1-3 UFC), a longtime veteran of the European regional scene, started his UFC run with a disappointing three-fight losing streak. However, he earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus while picking up his first UFC win, knocking out Alen Amedovski in just 14 seconds this past September.
Todorovic (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was looking to make his UFC debut after earning a UFC deal at last August’s Dana White’s Contender Series 26. A timetable for his return wasn’t immediately established.
With the change, the latest UFC on ESPN 13 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
- Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
- Frankie Edgar vs. opponent TBA
- Jimmie Rivera vs. Cody Stamann
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Mounir Lazzez
- Chris Fishgold vs. Jared Gordon
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vinicius Moreira
- Molly McCann vs. Taila Santos
- Lerone Murphy vs. Ricardo Ramos
- John Phillips vs. opponent TBA
- Ryan Benoit vs. Tim Elliott
- Diana Belbita vs. Liana Jojua
- Aaron Phillips vs. Jack Shore
