Walter Walker needs a new opponent for this weekend’s UFC Rio after his original opponent Mohammad Usman withdrew from the fight on Thursday, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting following a report from Reate Viana.
It remains to be seen what caused Usman to be taken off the card and whether the UFC will find a replacement in time to face the Brazilian.
Walker (14-1) is one of the most popular fighters on the card with three consecutive heel hook finishes in the UFC, and he made history with a similar submission against Usman.
Usman (11-4), who won TUF 30, was looking to maintain his momentum after a decision win over Hamdi Abdelwahab in June and back-to-back decision losses to Thomas Pietersen and Mick Parkin in 2024.
Check out the latest UFC Rio lineup below.
main card
- Charles Oliveira vs. Mateusz Gamlot
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Montel Jackson
- Vicente Luque vs. Joel Alvarez
- Jonata Diniz vs. Mario Pinto
- Ricardo Ramos vs. Khan Ofri
- Lucas Almeida vs. Michael Aswell
Undercard
- Jafel Filho vs. Clayton Carpenter
- Vitor Petrino vs. Thomas Petersen
- Beatriz Mesquita vs. Irina Alexeeva
- Lucas Rocha vs. Stewart Nicol
- Balter Walker vs. TBD
- Giulia Polastri vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
- Luan Lacerda vs. Simon Oliveira