Amir Albazi comes clean on withdrawal from Tatsuro Taira fight at UFC Vegas 108: "This is just a setback"

Amir Albazi’s return to the action hit another wall just days before UFC Vegas 108. The flyweight contender was set to headline against Tatsuro Taira in a high-stakes main event but was pulled from the card after failing to receive medical clearance.

The call was made by the promotion and commission following a completed training camp by Albazi. He took to Instagram to confirm that he had tried to push through injury but was ultimately sidelined. Albazi wrote:

"I’m heartbroken to announce that I won’t be fighting on August 2nd. I finished my whole training camp and did everything I could, but I wasn’t medically cleared in time. The UFC and the commission made the call for my safety. I respect their decision even though I wanted to step in to that cage and take care of business."

He added:

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"I’ll be back stronger and better. This is just a setback, not the end. Thank you to my fans, my team, and everyone who supports me through the ups and downs."

Check out Amir Albazi's statement below:

This marks another missed opportunity for the No. 4-ranked flyweight to gain momentum in a stacked division. Albazi has not competed since November, when he lost a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno in Edmonton. That defeat halted a five-fight win streak in the UFC.

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Amir Albazi’s UFC career has been plagued by a string of canceled matchups

Amir Albazi’s UFC journey has been marked by several canceled matchups. Since his debut in 2020, at least seven scheduled fights have fallen through for various reasons.

Opponents like Raulian Paiva, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Tim Elliott, Alex Perez, and Brandon Royval have all withdrawn due to injuries, visa issues, or other concerns.

Albazi himself has also withdrawn from multiple bookings, including high-profile matchups like the originally planned bout with Brandon Moreno in February 2024. The pair were rescheduled for November, but Albazi suffered a loss that set back his title hopes.

He has also faced scrutiny for some of his performances. His narrow win over Kai Kara-France in June 2023 came with heavy controversy after most media outlets and analysts scored the fight the other way.

This latest cancellation against Taira follows a frustrating pattern for the flyweight, who has only managed to compete five times since the start of 2021.

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar