Azamat Murzakanov out of UFC 309 fight with Nikita Krylov

Azamat Murzakanov is out of UFC 309.

On Wednesday, MMA Fighting confirmed that Murzakanov is out of his scheduled fight against Nikita Krylov next Saturday. It is unclear at this time if the UFC is seeking a replacement fighter for Murzakanov. Nolan King was first to report the news.

Currently ranked No. 11 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings, Murzakanov is undefeated in his MMA career, with four wins in the UFC since joining the promotion off the Contender Series in 2021. Most recently Murzakanov knocked out Alonzo Menifield back at UFC Abu Dhabi in August, and was looking to continue climbing the light heavyweight rankings.

Krylov is currently the No. 6-ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. Originally a heavyweight, Krylov put together a 5-2 run in the UFC light heavyweight division before leaving the promotion in 2017. He returned in 2018 where’s he’s been up-and-down since. However, Krylov is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, most recently submitting Ryan Spann in March of 2023.

UFC 309 takes place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.