A. Cara-de-Sapato in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @caradesapatojr
the card of UFC Brasilia, which takes place on March 14, lost an important piece for Brazilian fans. Second Makhmud Muradov, opponent of Antônio 'Cara-de-Sapato', his rival suffered an injury and will be forced to leave the show. The information was published on the Uzbekistan athlete's Instagram account and, later, by 'Combate'.
"Hello. I'm sorry, but I have some bad news for you. My fight in Brazil against Carlos Júnior (Antônio Cara-de-Sapato) will not happen. My opponent was injured and will not be able to fight. This, like many other bad things, are part of this sport and I wish him a speedy recovery. I hope we fight in the future,” Makhmud wrote.
In addition to revealing that the fight against the Brazilian will not take place, Muradov took the opportunity to state that his opponent for the Brazilian card will not be replaced. Therefore, the fighter will also not perform at the Federal District show.
“I won't be part of the tournament in Brazil, but it doesn't matter. We will continue to work even harder. We are negotiating with the UFC and, soon, when I know something new about my next fight, I will inform them. Thank you for your support”, he concluded.
According to 'MMA Fighting', Cara-de-Sapato suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will need to undergo surgery.
Undefeated in 13 fights and with two victories in the UFC, Makhmud saw the fight against Antônio as a chance to enter the middleweight rankings (up to 83,9kg) once and for all.
'Cara-de-Sapato', in turn, was looking for the chance to rediscover the good phase that led him to be considered one of the category's promises a few years ago. Without winning since 2018 and coming off two consecutive defeats, the man from Paraíba would have the support of the Brazilian fans to reach the goal of triumphing over Muradov.
