Damir Hadzovic has encountered obstacles in his return to the Octagon.
UFC announced on Wednesday that Hadzovic will no longer be facing Bolaji Oki at UFC Vegas 86. Instead, Timothy Cuamba, who recently participated in the Contender Series, will take his place.
The specific reason for the change was not disclosed by officials, but Hadzovic mentioned on social media that it was due to visa-related issues.
Hadzovic expressed his disappointment, citing visa processing delays as the cause for the cancellation of his match. He hopes to have a new match soon.
This would have been Hadzovic’s first fight since July 2022 and his third since March 2020. Visa complications also prevented him from competing against Steve Garcia at UFC Vegas 52.
The revised matchup will feature two new UFC fighters. Oki earned a UFC contract after defeating Dylan Salvador in August with a first-round TKO. Cuamba, on the other hand, won a fight against Mateo Vogel by unanimous decision at the Contender Series but was not awarded a contract. He then made his debut as a short-notice replacement just eight days after winning with a second-round knockout.
Oki, known as “The Zulu Warrior,” has achieved eight consecutive wins since losing his pro debut in 2018, with only two of those wins going to a decision.
Cuamba holds a record of 8-1 and competed on the same Contender Series card as Oki. Despite not receiving a contract, he has been actively competing, including a recent fight at the Tough ‘N Doof event in Las Vegas.
The latest UFC Vegas 86 lineup is as follows:
Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pifer
Dan Ige vs. Andre Fili
Brad Tavares vs. Gregory Rodriguez
Michael Johnson vs. Darius Flowers
Robert Blicek vs. Ihor Potieria
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan
Trevin Giles vs. Carlos Prates
Roma Lookboonmee vs. Bruna Brazil
Devin Clark vs. Marcin Prachnio
Max Griffin vs. Jeremiah Wells
Zach Pauga vs. Bogdan Guskov
Daniel Marcos vs. Aori Kiren
Heider Amir vs. Ferny Garcia
Bolaji Oki vs. Timothy Kuamba
