Alex Pereira’s teammate and former kickboxing adversary, Yousri Belgaroui, was scheduled to face UFC veteran Kelvin Gastelum at the promotion’s annual spectacle, UFC Noche, on September 12 in Arizona. However, the anticipated matchup has reportedly fallen apart after Gastelum withdrew from the bout.

“Kelvin Gastelum is no longer fighting at #NocheUFC against Yousri Belgaroui,” Marcel Dorf posted on X. “Belgaroui remains on the card.”

As of now, the reason behind Gastelum’s abrupt withdrawal has not been disclosed. But according to a report from Brazilian journalist Léo Guimarães, the UFC has already found a late replacement for Pereira’s teammate. Newcomer Djorden Santos will now step in for the former interim UFC middleweight title challenger and face Yousri Belgaroui at UFC Noche.

For Belgaroui, this is undoubtedly a missed opportunity to get his name further recognized across the MMA world. The Tunisian already has a history with Alex Pereira, having faced the Brazilian three times during their Glory Kickboxing run, with Belgaroui winning the first encounter at Glory 40. Pereira went on to win the remaining two bouts, ultimately settling their trilogy in his favor.

After a successful kickboxing run, the Tunisian fighter, like Pereira, started his MMA journey and soon found his way to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series. By then, Alex Pereira had already established himself as a major name in the promotion. So, Belgaroui joined his former adversary’s team as he embarked on his own UFC journey. So far, the 34-year-old has picked up two victories under Dana White’s banner, both by stoppage.

Though the promotion has successfully found a replacement with only a month remaining until the event, it won’t be a stretch to say that one of the more sought-after bouts on the card has unfortunately failed to materialize. For Gastelum, his ordeal with canceled fights continues, as the 34-year-old’s latest withdrawal marks his more than 10th canceled fight in the UFC across the middleweight and welterweight divisions.

To be fair, the UFC veteran isn’t entirely to blame for all of his canceled fights, as many of them fell through because of his opponents pulling out or scheduling issues. But it won’t be a stretch to say that his struggles with injuries have marred some of the most important fights of his career.

Most notably, Kelvin Gastelum had to pull out of a bout against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 273 because of an undisclosed injury. Later, the Mexican-American also withdrew from a bout against Nassourdine Imavov in January 2023 because of a mouth injury. Their previous fight had already fizzled out due to the Dagestani-French fighter’s visa issues.

Well, the UFC veteran’s streak of canceled fights continued even after he moved down to welterweight, with another bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov falling through after Gastelum suffered a facial fracture and broken nose during training.

For now, Kelvin Gastelum’s withdrawal from his bout against Alex Pereira’s teammate remains the first fight to be canceled from the ambitious UFC Noche card.

However, this week’s UFC 330 witnessed a drastic change of its own, with another fan-favorite fight undergoing a last-minute shake-up just days before the event.

Jose Ochoa out of the UFC 330 fight against Charles Johnson

The UFC had scheduled a banger flyweight showdown between veteran Charles Johnson and Jose Ochoa at this week’s marquee event inside the Xfinity Arena in Philadelphia. However, with only a few days remaining before the bout, Ochoa suffered an injury during training and was forced to withdraw from the fight.

After an unfortunate injury sidelined Ochoa from the important clash, the 25-year-old addressed his situation and broke the news to his fans on social media. 

“How is it, my people? Sad news, but things happen,” Ochoa wrote on Instagram. “I was 100% ready for UFC 330, enjoying the camp, focusing, and doing my job professionally as usual. Unfortunately, in my last training session before my trip, I had a blow that seemed manageable at the beginning, but after a few hours I had to go to the doctor, and he prescribed that I could not continue with the fight. Thank you all for always hanging in there! In a couple of months, we’re back.”  

Ochoa didn’t reveal the full extent of his injury or provide a probable timeline for his return. However, Charles Johnson will remain on the UFC 330 lineup after Brazil’s Eduardo Chapolin answered the promotion’s call to face the veteran on short notice.

That said, it’s worth noting that the UFC managed to find replacements in both cancellations. But the loss of a star like Kelvin Gastelum from Noche, an event celebrating the fighter’s Mexican heritage, is definitely a more significant blow for the promotion.