A last-minute injury reshuffle has added a debutant to this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, with undefeated lightweight Artur Minev set to face Tommy Gannt. Trey Ogden and Nicolas Dalby were both forced out, leaving Nicolas Dalby’s matchup with Jeremi
The UFC returns to Las Vegas this weekend with a UFC Fight Night headlined by featherweight contenders Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa, but the card has already been hit by a late wave of withdrawals.
At the start of fight week, there were 14 scheduled bouts and the event was set for full capacity. That changed as Trey Ogden and Nicolas Dalby were forced out of their respective matchups with Tommy Gannt and Jeremiah Wells due to injury.
Marcel Dorff was among the first to detail the shake-up, and the most immediate fix came for the Gannt matchup.. There’s still no word on whether the UFC will be able to find a new opponent for Wells on short notice. but Dorff announced that the promotion signed undefeated lightweight prospect Artur Minev to step in and debut against Gannt this weekend.
Minev enters with a perfect 7-0 record after a 3-0 amateur career.. Finishes have defined his professional run: he has ended fights in all but one of his MMA bouts. with five stoppages coming inside the first round.. His most recent win came at Fury FC 113 in January. when he defeated longtime Bellator veteran Derek Campos. marking his fourth appearance for the Texas-based promotion.
Gannt, meanwhile, is also arriving on the UFC roster with an undefeated profile.. The short-notice opponent that Minev faces earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series through a first-round submission of the formerly-unbeaten Adam Livingston last September.. The 33-year-old also went undefeated as an amateur and has stayed extremely busy since his pro debut in 2024. which came in just 21 seconds.. Over a little more than two years. Gantt has compiled an 11-0 (1 NC) record. won welterweight belts with New Line Cagefighting and North Iowa Fights. and secured 10 wins via finish.
The timing and staffing make the card feel like it’s moving twice at once: Ogden and Dalby exit due to injury, and Minev’s addition for Gannt is fast enough to restore the schedule to a near-complete state, while the Wells pairing remains the open question.
With Minev stepping in to face Gantt, UFC Vegas 117 is now back up to 13 scheduled fights. The event is set to proceed as such unless the promotion also finds a short-notice replacement to face Wells.
Main Event: Arnold Allen vs.. Melquizael Costa
Co-Main Event: Doo Ho Choi vs.. Daniel Santos
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Juan Diaz
Modestats Bukauskas vs.. Rodolfo Bellato
Timmy Cuamba vs.. Bernardo Sopaj
Nikolay Veretennikov vs.. Khaos Williams
Tuco Tokkos vs.. Ivan Erslan
Tommy Gannt vs.. Artur Minev
Ketlen Vieira vs.. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Andre Petroski vs.. Cody Brundage
Alice Ardelean vs.. Polyana Viana
Daniel Barez vs.. Luis Gurule
Shauna Bannon vs.. Nicolle Caliari
UFC Vegas 117 Artur Minev Tommy Gannt Jeremiah Wells Nicolas Dalby Trey Ogden UFC Fight Night Las Vegas Arnold Allen Melquizael Costa Doo Ho Choi