Report: Gustafsson out of UFC Sao Paulo, Bader-Nogueira new main event
At this point, it will take a miracle to get Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira into the Octagon together.
An undisclosed injury has forced Gustafsson to withdraw from his main event bout opposite Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 100 on Nov. 19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, sources told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.
It is the third time that a fight between Gustafsson and Nogueira has been cancelled.
No. 4-ranked light heavyweight Ryan Bader will replace Gustafsson against Nogueira, in a rematch from Sept. 25, 2010. Bader won the first meeting by unanimous decision.
The news could signal an abrupt end to Gustafsson's 2016 comeback. He returned from an 11-month layoff and snapped a two-fight losing streak when he won a unanimous decision over Jan Blachowicz in September. The Swede has a 9-4 record in the UFC, including two decision losses in light heavyweight championship matches.
In the first attempt at booking Gustafsson-Nogueira in 2012, Nogueira pulled out with an injury. The bout would be drawn up again in 2014, only to be canceled when injury befell Nogueira again.
The 40-year-old Nogueira sits at no. 9 in the UFC's official rankings. He has won three of his past five bouts, with a first-round TKO win over Patrick Cummins in his most recent fight.