"That shouldn't be sanctioned" - Fans slam UFC for picking 'horrible replacement' in desperate move as fighter falls out of UFC Vegas 76

On July 1, Las Vegas will play host to UFC Vegas 76. The event will be headlined by none other than controversial middleweight trash-talker Sean Strickland. His scheduled opponent is Abusupiyan Magomedov, a German fighter who hopes to extend his three-fight win streak in his sophomore fight under the promotion.

However, it is neither Sean Strickland nor Abusupiyan Magomedov who have made headlines. Instead, the undercard fight between Khusein Askhabov and Joanderson Brito is what recently drew fan attention.

Askhabov withdrew from the bout and will be replaced by Westin Wilson.

The announcement was poorly received by fans, due in no small part to the American's record. The fighter he replaced, Kusein Askhabov, sports a record of 23 wins and only one loss. Meanwhile, his scheduled opponent Joanderson Brito, has 14 wins, three losses and one draw.

Unfortunately, Westin Wilson's record isn't nearly as well-regarded as either man's. While he has 16 wins on his résumé, he has also lost seven times, meaning he has lost nearly half as many times as he's won. Furthermore, Wilson will be making his UFC debut, having last fought at Tuff-N-Uff 131.

This revelation has led to MMA fans on social media panning the UFC matchmakers for their decision to book Weston Wilson to face a far more accomplished fighter in Joanderson Brito on such short notice.

Perhaps the greatest reason for the backlash is the American's past loss to Teruto Ishihara, whose record currently sits at 13 wins, 11 losses and three draws. Fan outrage to the decision is as follows:

Some MMA fans even reacted with sarcasm, as illustrated by the tweets below:

Needless to say, fans are not happy with the UFC's decision to book Westin Wilson for an MMA bout that seems beyond him.

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What other UFC matchups were considered heavily lopsided?

Few will forget how Khamzat Chimaev stained his 2022 campaign by missing weight by a tremendous amount prior to UFC 279. At the time, 'Borz' was scheduled to headline the event by facing 'BMF' claimant Nate Diaz in a bout that many regarded as one of the most lopsided matchups in MMA history.

Given Chimaev's combination of size, strength, power and high-level wrestling, the prevailing thought was that Diaz would be manhandled in a manner never seen before. Fortunately, for Stockton's finest, the matchup never took place as Chimaev missed weight and the main event had to be reshuffled.