UFC 260 will unfortunately move forward without Blagoy Ivanov. The heavyweight suffered an injury and will not be able to compete against Marcin Tybura on the big Pay-Per-View. The card is headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion, Stipe Miocic and challenger Francis Ngannou, the match certainly would have been a crowd-pleaser. However, with Ivanov out perhaps the promotion will seek a replacement, consequently, the news was first reported by 24Chasa.
At the time, it is still unknown what injury-plagued the heavyweight. Despite losing a nice scrap, UFC 260 is stacked. The card definitely would have benefited from the heavyweight tilt considering the main event is the same weight class. However, the first quarter for the UFC in 2021 looks strong. Also featured on the blockbuster card is the fellow champion, Alexander Volkanovski defending his belt against Brian Ortega.
UFC 260 Loses A Heavyweight Fight
Since losing the Ivanov vs. Tybura match-up, the card now features ten bouts. The news is unfortunate as Ivanov is looking to get back into the win column. The heavyweight lost two in a row but lost to elite competition like Derrick Lewis and Augusto Sakai. Prior to the two steps back, Ivanov picked up solid unanimous decision victories against Ben Rothwell and Tai Tuivasa. Conversely, Tybura is coming off a big win against Greg Hardy. The Polish heavyweight is also on a 4-fight winning streak.
Although UFC 260 lost a heavyweight bout, this will likely be one of the most stacked cards of the year. Granted, it is difficult for any card to compete with dual champions, the excitement comes from the fact that both challengers for the title are battle-tested and ready.
With the loss of Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcin Tybura, here is the most up-to-date schedule for UFC 260:
- Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
- Alevander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega
- Tyron Woodley vs. Vicente Luque
- Modestus. Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Randa Markos vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Jessica Penne vs. Hannah Goldy
- Thomas Almeida vs. Sean O’Malley
- Abu Azaitar vs. Marc Barriault
- Jamie Mullarkey vs. Khama Worthy
- Shane Young vs. Omar Morales
