Halloween Card Loses A Third Fight As Bekoev Pulls Out
“This is not how I wanted things to go, but my health has to come first.”
Azamat Bekoev is now out of UFC Vegas 123 after an allergic reaction left him unconscious in a pharmacy, and Petroski refused a replacement opponent.
The Halloween card has lost another fight, and this one is gone for good.
Azamat Bekoev pulled out of his UFC Vegas 123 middleweight bout with Andre Petroski on Saturday, October 24, after an anaphylactic reaction a couple of days earlier. He got himself to a CVS, got medication, and then passed out inside the store. An ambulance was called.
That is the whole story in one sentence, and it is also why the fight is not being saved. Petroski would not take a replacement opponent on October 31. So the bout was scrapped outright, not reshuffled.
His Own Words
Bekoev told the story himself, in a post on X on October 24. He did not dress it up, and he did not blame anyone.
"A couple of days ago, I suffered an anaphylactic reaction," Bekoev wrote. "Thankfully, I made it to CVS within a few minutes and was able to get medication, but I ended up passing out inside the store, and they had to call an ambulance."
He apologized to Petroski, the UFC, and everyone who had looked forward to the fight, and said he had never pulled out before and does not take this lightly.
"This is not how I wanted things to go, but my health has to come first," Bekoev wrote. "I'll focus on recovering, and I'll be back soon."
No cause or timeline is given in his statement, and none is added here.
Why The Fight Is Gone, Not Replaced
Fight-week pullouts usually end with a new name. This one did not, because the man left standing said no.
Petroski would not fight a replacement on October 31, so the UFC scrapped the bout instead of forcing one in. That is the difference from the two earlier changes on this card: the other fighters who pulled out were replaced. Petroski's refusal left nothing to replace with.
Petroski does not wait long. He has been added to UFC Vegas 124 on November 7, where he faces Mantas Kondratavicius on the Bonfim against Brady card.
The records reported for the scrapped bout and the rebooking are Bekoev at 20-5, Petroski at 13-6, and Kondratavicius at 9-1.
Those figures agree across the two outlets that carried them in full. The checker must trace every one to a primary source before publish, because records for this card have differed across overnight reports.
The Third Loss In A Week Of Changes
Bekoev is the third fighter to come off UFC Vegas 123. Each change alone is normal fight-week business. Three of them, with one fight lost outright, is a card coming apart at the edges.
Gaston Bolanos was first out, after a cut in training before his bout with Francis Marshall. Marshall stays on the card, now against Dakota Hope.
Carlos Leal was next out of the co-main event against Randy Brown, after an injury. Brown also stays on the card. His new opponent is the story of the reshuffle: Jacobe Smith steps in on 11 days' notice, and Brown against Smith is now the co-main event on October 31.
The Leal detail carries a flag for the checker. One overnight report describes Leal's injury only as an injury, without naming the leg. The checker should settle that detail against a primary source before publish.
What Still Stands Saturday
The card still has a headliner. Renato Moicano faces Tom Nolan in a lightweight main event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 31, as UFC Vegas 123.
The reshuffled co-main, Brown against Smith, now carries more weight than it was built to carry. It is a short-notice step up for Smith, and a must-win shape of fight for Brown.
Marshall against Hope and Julian Erosa against Jeong Yeong Lee also remain on the lineup. The card was listed at thirteen fights before Bekoev pulled out. It is now down one.
That is the line under this whole week. Two fights were saved by replacements.
The third could not be saved, because the fighter left standing chose to wait for November instead. You love to see a card survive fight week. This one survived, but only just, and with one fewer fight than it started with.
