Andre Muniz is out of his fight with Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia after dealing with passport issues, he announced on social media Saturday.
The Brazilian middleweight said the UFC has opted to move the bout to a new date instead of finding a short-notice replacement to face Aliskerov, but the company is yet to announce the decision.
UFC Saudi Arabia goes down Feb. 1 at anb Arena in Riyadh, with former champion Israel Adesanya facing off with Nassourdine Imavov in the main event.
Muniz and Aliskerov were first booked to meet in June 2024, but “Sergipano” withdrew with a broken foot. Aliskerov ended up facing Robert Whittaker weeks later in Saudi Arabia, where he saw his seven-fight winning streak snapped by the former UFC middleweight champion.
Aliskerov, now 15-2 as a professional, holds first-round stoppages over Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves in the UFC. He joined the promotion after tapping Mario Sousa with a quick finish at Dana White’s Contender Series.
Muniz hasn’t fought since December 2023, when be won a split decision over Jun Yong Park to improve to 6-2 in the UFC and 24-6 overall as a MMA fighter. He has scored stoppages in three of his octagon victories, a trio of first-round armbars over Ronaldo Souza, Eryk Anders and Bartosz Fabinski.
