NEWS UPDATE: Hardy gets new opponent, Weidman releases statement, Minakov-Ayala off

Hardy to Face Volkov in Moscow

It did not take long for Greg Hardy to find his next opponent.

As first reported by ESPN, Hardy will fight Alexander Volkov on Nov. 9 in Moscow.

The event was orginally scheduled to be headlined by a fight between Volkov and former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. However, dos Santos was forced to withdraw due to a serious bacterial infection.

Dos Santos-Volkov was originally scheduled to be the main event of the show. Instead a featherweight fight between Zabit Magomedsharipov  and Calvin Kattar will serve as the main event.

Hardy takes the fight with Volkov less than a week removed from his no-contest against Ben Sosoli at UFC Boston. The fight was originally ruled a decision victory for Hardy, but was quickly changed to a no-contest due to Hardy using an inhaler prior to the third round.

Alexander Volkov will present Hardy with his first ranked opponent since making his UFC debut in early 2019.

Chris Weidman releases statement after loss to Reyes.

Despite calls for his retirement, Chris Weidman does not appear ready to hang it up.

In his first statement since his KO Dominick Reyes at UFC Boston, Weidman took to Instahrm to thank his supporters and declare that his MMA career is not yet over.

Weidman wrote, “I will tell you that I am def not ready to retire. I still love this and am very hungry to get back in there. I believe I have the abilities to still be world champion.”

Read the full statement below:

View this post on Instagram

I just want to let everyone know I’m all good just obviously bummed with the result. I knew Dom was a tough fight and he proved to be more than that with a beautiful timed left hand that put me down in the first. I jumped in with a right hand and the range was off and he capitalized. Sucks for me. As for what is next for me… I’m hearing a lot of “you should retire comments” and I get where you are coming from based on the results of my recent fights. It’s crazy because with a win over Reyes the chances of me fighting for the world championship were very strong. Now to be getting hit with the retirement talk is really a big swing for me to get used to hearing. I will tell you that I am def not ready to retire. I still love this and am very hungry to get back in there. I believe I have the abilities to still be world champion. I know some of you are shaking your head and laughing at me when I say that .. well screw you and thanks for the motivation. This fight I was coming off a year lay-off, 2 major surgeries, and a weight class change. Way too much time out of the gym and I feel like that did play a role in this fight. The fact that I’m healthy right now and can get back in the gym is territory that I’m not used too. I will be back soon and I will look good doing it. Thank you everyone for your support and I’m sorry to let you down. This extreme low in my career will be part of my story and I will finish on top. Thank you to my friends and family and sponsors @monsterenergy @cbdmd.usa @fellowshiphomeloans @medtronic who stand behind me in my high and low moments! Thank you to God for blessing me with all that I have and am so undeserving of. Everyday is a gift and I’m so thankful to be able to experience that gift even when my goals and desires aren’t met.

A post shared by Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) on Oct 22, 2019 at 8:13am PDT

Minakov-Ayala off of Bellator 232

The heavyweight fight between Vitaly Minakov and Javy Ayala will not happen at UFC 232.

TASS reported that visa issues will prevent Vitaly Minakov from making the trip to Uncasville, Connecticut.

Bellator 232 is scheduled to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Rory MacDonald and Douglas Lima.

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