Breaking: UFC 288 loses fight due to injury

UFC 288 lost a preliminary bout between bantamweights Daniel Santos and Johnny Munoz Jr.

On May 6, the UFC is taking a trip to Newark, New Jersey, for a pay-per-view event inside the Prudential Center. Before the PPV main card begins, there is a preliminary card loaded with fighters looking to make a name for themselves. Unfortunately, the undercard is down to eight matchups after Daniel Santos pulled out with an injury. The announcement was confirmed by Marcel Dorff on Twitter:

“Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Muñoz Jr. cancelled for #UFC288.”

The late-notice cancellation is devastating for Munoz Jr. The 30-year-old last fought in November 2022, gaining momentum by defeating Liudvik Sholinian with a unanimous decision. ‘Kid Kvenbo’ seemed to be finally finding his footing in the UFC, but he will have to wait before potentially securing another win.

Meanwhile, Santos won his first UFC fight in October 2022, defeating John Castaneda with a second-round knockout. After bouncing back from a loss in his promotional debut, ‘Willycat’ emerged as a prospect to keep an eye on.

The UFC 288 preliminary card will move forward with the following eight bouts - Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola, Devin Clark vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu, Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya, Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba, Parker Porter vs. Braxton Smith, Ikram Aliskerov vs. Phil Hawes, Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Rafael Estevam, and Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro.

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Who else is fighting at UFC 288?

The UFC 288 main event features Aljamain Sterling looking to defend the 135-pound title for the third time. On the other side of the Octagon will be Henry Cejudo, a former two-division UFC champion who hasn’t fought since May 2020. The betting odds have the bantamweight championship matchup at nearly even.

In the co-main event, welterweight contenders Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad step up on short notice after Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush was postponed. Muhammad looks to secure a title shot by extending his night-fight unbeaten streak. Burns hopes to end his opponent's streak and emerge as a potential number-one contender after defeating Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal this year.

The PPV main card will be rounded off by a women’s strawweight contender matchup between Jessica Andrade and Yan Xiaonan, a late-notice featherweight bout between Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes, and a featherweight matchup with Kron Gracie returning to take on Charles Jourdain.