UFC Vegas 46 loses 2 matchups; Kevin Croom targeted to face Brian Kelleher
UFC Vegas 46 has undergone even more changes.
Saidyokub Kakhramonov has been forced out of his fight on Saturday for undisclosed reasons, but his opponent Brian Kelleher is expected to remain on the card with Kevin Croom in talks to accept the fight, which would take place at featherweight.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday. Kakhramohnov being knocked off the card was first reported by My MMA News.
Assuming the deal is finalized, Croom would step into the fight against Kelleher after a similar situation surrounded his entry to the UFC back in 2020. He eventually earned a submission win over Roosevelt Roberts in his debut, but the victory was later overturned after Croom tested positive for marijuana. He then suffered a decision loss to Alex Caceres in his next UFC appearance this past February.
Now, Croom will look to get back on track while facing off with Kelleher at 145 pounds as part of the UFC Vegas 46 card, which takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
The UFC Vegas 46 event lost another fight with the matchup between Silvana Gomez Juarez and Vanessa Demopoulos moved to UFC 270, which takes place next weekend in Anaheim, Calif. Demopoulos revealed the news on her Instagram account with additional sources confirming the change to MMA Fighting on Wednesday.
As it stands, UFC Vegas 46 features a total of 10 fights with featherweights Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar serving as the main event. On Tuesday, the card underwent another change when Gabriel Benitez was scratched and Charles Rosa stepped in on short notice to face T.J. Brown.
Mike Heck contributed to this report