UFC 257 lost another fight as the Afghan star, Nasrat Haqparast, had to withdraw from his feature Prelim bout against Arman Tsarukyan.

Aaron Bronsteter was the first to report this. Haqparast had to withdraw due to illness. But the nature of his illness was not disclosed.

Haqparast took to Instagram to confirm the news. He wrote that the medical team didn’t allow him to take part in the fight against Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan, on the other hand, missed weight by 3 pounds. But he is still in the card and will fight Matt Frevola. Frevola had his scheduled bout against Ottman Azaitar canceled. Azaitar was scrapped from the card and cut from the UFC after breaching medical protocols related to Coronavirus.

In a strange turn of events, Tsarukyan and Frevola will battle it out at the featured prelims of the UFC 257 card. Both fighters will be looking to make the most of this opportunity, for sure. Tsarukyan, especially, will be keen to build on the strong start to his UFC career.

Nasrat Haqparast has promised to be back soon

Haqparast may have missed his chance to be present on a Conor McGregor pay-per-view, but he has promised to be back in the octagon in a matter of weeks once he is cleared to fight again.

The Afghan is currently 4-2 in his UFC career. After suffering his first knockout loss at UFC 246 against Drew Dober, he managed to turn it around with a decision win over Alex Munoz in August.

Haqparast is expected to make a good run at the lightweight division of the UFC. But considering the current upper echelon of the division, contenders like Haqparast will have to make the most of every single opportunity they get.

A presence and good performance on a Conor McGregor card can certainly raise a fighter’s stock. Haqparast was part of the UFC 246 card but got stopped by Drew Dober. This time, he had to withdraw from the UFC 257 card.

That’s two golden chances squandered. He can’t afford to let go of too many. Who should Haqparast fight once he returns?