UFC 316 is without one of the biggest fan favorites after a broken finger has cost the promotion a big collision.
Beloved heavyweight competitor Shamil Gaziev would compete against Serghei Spivac in a fight that could have seen him launch in the top ten. However, it is now out of operation and requires surgery, which means that the competition is switched off.
With more than a month until Fight Night, the number seven has already found ranked competitions a new opponent, which is actually ranked higher than Gaziev. He stays on the Newark card, which is supplied by Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili's Bantamweight Title Rematch.
SHAMAM Gaziev from UFC 316 Heavyweight collision
Shamil Gaziev has emerged in the past year as one of the most beloved heavyweights in the UFC with fans. The Russian and Bahrainse competition has an inimitable style and has collected a cult supporter for his finishes so far in the promotion.
Fans were excited to see him return on UFC 316 in the Prudential Center on 7 June, in particular the most difficult test of his career to date in Serghei Spivac. However, that fight is now being canceled after he had contracted a broken finger in the training.
Hello guys, unfortunately I broke my finger during the preparation and will soon make surgery. But I will do my best to come back very quickly pic.twitter.com/5r5exsiut
– SHAMM Gaziev (@Gazievmma) 5 May 2025
View tweet
He shared a picture of his brutal injury to social media yesterday with the caption: “Hello guys, unfortunately I broke my finger during the preparation and will soon make an operation. But I will do my best to come back soon.”
Serghei Spivac is now facing Waldo Cortes-Acosta on UFC 316
Fortunately, the UFC could find a replacement for Spivac in the form of number-11 Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The Dominican has only been lost once under the UFC banner once in the same way and currently has a four-fighter-winning series.
Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC
His stripe victories includes the gigantic knockout artist Robelis Despaigne and former world champion Andrei Arlovski. In the meantime, Spivac is 1-2 in his last three and would like to come back to Wonen in Newark.
The most recent defeat of Spivac was a third round of TKO by Jilton Almeida on UFC 311. He was also eliminated by Ciryl Gane