For its forthcoming “Vegas” cards, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is making a few adjustments.
According to Eurosport, bantamweight wrestler Montel Jackson has been dropped from this weekend’s UFC Vegas 80 card for unspecified reasons. As a result, Chris Gutierrez will now face Alateng Heili at 135 pounds at UFC Vegas 81 on October 14.
Originally, Heili (16-8-2) was slated to square off against Rani Yahya, but the ailing Brazilian was dropped from the APEX-bound bout bill late last month.
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Montel Jackson To Be Replaced By Alateng Heili
Montel Jackson has unexpectedly been removed from the UFC Vegas 80 schedule for unstated reasons. Chris Gutierrez, who was supposed to fight him, has been rescheduled to take on Alateng Heili at UFC Vegas 81 on October 14. Gutierrez, who is ranked No. 15 at 135 pounds right now, will be attempting to recover from a defeat in his most recent match. We don’t yet know what Jackson’s future holds because we don’t know why he withdrew.
The next battle for Chris Gutierrez isn’t for another week, but against a different opponent.
Following the cancellation of Montel Jackson, who was initially set to face Gutierrez on Saturday, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed with sources with knowledge of the switch that Gutierrez (19-5-2) is booked to fight Alatengheili (16-8-2) in a bantamweight contest at UFC Vegas 81 on Oct. 14.
In his first defeat in five years, Gutierrez lost to Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision, ending an eight-fight winning streak. Before being stopped by Munhoz, “El Guapo” had been steadily climbing the ranks after knocking out Frankie Edgar and Danaa Batgerel.
Alatengheili makes his first appearance since September 2022. In six UFC outings, he has only once lost, and he recently defeated Chad Anheliger and Kevin Croom back-to-back.
