The dreaded injury bug has struck once again.
This time is is Brazilian heavyweight Junior Dos Santos who has been affected, forcing him to withdraw from his scheduled November 9 fight with Alexander Volkov in the Russian capital. News of the withdrawal was first reported by Russian sports outlet RT Sport.
Reports state that the veteran slugger was was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in one of his legs which has required around a week of hospitalisation. He has had two medical procedures thus far, to both put in and remove a drain to help rid his body of excess fluid.
The fight was intended to be Dos Santos’ first since suffering a 71-second TKO defeat to Francis Ngannou during the summer. Prior to that he would have won three straight fights to place him in the verge of title contention. It is understood that the Moscow fight was to be the final fight of his UFC contract.
Volkov, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since a suffering a late defeat to Derrick Lewis a year ago. Prior to that he had won six straight fights including wins against Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson.
As of yet there are no indications as to the UFC’s plans for the card, and whether they will seek to find a replacement for Dos Santos. The card, which will take place in the CSKA Arena, is co-headlined by a highly-anticipated clash between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar.
