Health problem forces Paulo Borrachinha out of UFC 317; fight is rescheduled

Paulo borrachinha He is a Brazilian standout in the UFC. Photo/Reproduction/Twitter/UFCBrasil

The long-awaited middleweight fight (up to 83,9kg) between Paulo borrachinha e Roman Kopylov, originally scheduled for the UFC 317 on June 28, it was officially moved to UFC 318 on July 19. The change occurred after the Brazilian contracted a virus that prevented him from competing in the main event of International Fight Week, in Las Vegas (USA). The information was released by journalist Laerte Viana.

Former middleweight title challenger, Borrachinha is facing a critical moment in his career. The Minas Gerais native has only one win in his last five fights, against Luke Rockhold, in August 2022, and accumulates defeats for Robert whittaker e Sean Strickland in sequence. The new date gives the athlete an additional 21 days for full recovery before the clash in Louisiana, United States.

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Kopylov, his opponent, is going through the opposite phase. The Russian has six wins in seven fights in the Octagon, five by knockout. His only recent defeat was to anthony hernandez in February 2024, followed by triumphs over Cesar Almeida e Chris Curtis. The postponement maintains his chance of climbing positions in the 83,9kg ranking, where he occupies 14th place, while Paulo is in 13th place.

The main card of UFC 317 continues with two titles at stake: Ilia Topuria and Charles Odo Bronx fight for the vacant lightweight belt Islam makhachev, and Alexandre pantoja defends his flyweight title against Kai Kara France.