UFC 222 has taken another hit.
Fresh off a remade main card that included a new main event and co-main event, now the preliminary card is undergoing a change as lightweight competitor Bobby Green has been forced out of his scheduled bout against Beneil Dariush at UFC 22 on March 3 in Las Vegas.
Sources close to the matchup confirmed the news on Wednesday following an initial report from Farah Hannoun via Twitter.
Green made a quick turn around to accept the fight at UFC 222 following a win over Erik Koch at the UFC on FOX card in Charlotte, N.C. in late January. That win got Green back on track after he had gone 0-3-1 in his previous four fights inside the Octagon.
Now unfortunately, Green will have to wait until later in 2018 to make his return to action following this latest setback due to injury. There’s no word at this time when Green may be able to book his next fight in the UFC.
As for Dariush, sources say the UFC veteran wants to stay on the card and the promotion is searching for a replacement opponent at this time.
Dariush last fought in October 2017 when he went to a majority draw with Evan Dunham at UFC 216. Now the submission specialist will await word from the UFC with hopes of securing a replacement opponent in the coming days.
UFC 222 will be headlined by women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg putting her title on the line against former Invicta FC standout Yana Kunitskaya, who will be making her Octagon debut. Meanwhile, the co-main event will feature a featherweight title eliminator as Frankie Edgar takes on Brian Ortega with the winner then expected to move on to face 145-pound king Max Holloway later this year.
Who would you like to see step into face Beneil Dariush on short notice at UFC 222? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
