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An important flyweight fight was set to take place Saturday, with Brandon Royval looking to extend a two-fight win streak against Askar Askarov.
On Friday, the UFC confirmed that the fight is off due to “weight management issues” with Askarov. Royval posted on social media that Askarov also refused to fight at catchweight. That is a horrible look for Askarov, particularly since he is coming off a loss. Askarov fought to a draw with Brandon Moreno three years ago, and had he won this fight against Royval, he would have been a top candidate for a rematch, with the added potential of it being a title fight. Instead, Askarov is bound to drop from his fourth spot in the rankings, no doubt replaced by fifth-ranked Royval.
