A scheduled upcoming UFC Fight Night main event will be repurposed on the promotion’s next pay-per-view card.
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will now take on Rafael Fiziev in the lightweight co-main event of UFC 272 on March 5 in Las Vegas, sources confirmed Friday with ESPN. Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev was initially scheduled for the UFC Fight Night headliner Feb. 19 in Las Vegas. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was the first to report the news.
Fiziev reportedly had a visa delay, leading to the change. Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev will remain a five-round fight, per sources. The new UFC Fight Night main event on Feb. 19 will be a five-round light heavyweight bout between Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill, sources said. Walker vs. Hill was initially scheduled as the UFC Fight Night co-main event.
Dos Anjos (30-13) has not fought since a split-decision win over Paul Felder in November 2020. The Brazilian-born fighter, who lives in California, moved back to lightweight for that bout after three years at welterweight. Dos Anjos, 37, had dropped four of five fights against top 170-pound fighters before moving back down to 155, where he was the UFC champ in 2015 and 2016.
Fiziev (11-1) has won five in a row after dropping his UFC debut in 2019. The Kazakhstan-born fighter of Kyrgyzstani descent has won two of his last three fights via knockout, the most recent a third-round spinning wheel kick finish of Brad Riddell in December. Fiziev, 28, is considered one of the top young strikers in MMA.
UFC 272 will be headlined by a welterweight grudge match between former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, owner of the mythical BMF title.