UFC 316 will no longer feature a former title challenger.
Sources familiar with the promotion`s plans have confirmed that Marlon Vera is out of his scheduled fight against Mario Bautista at UFC 316 on June 7th in Newark, New Jersey. The reasons for his withdrawal are currently unknown. The news was initially reported by MagicM_MMABets on Twitter.
The UFC is actively searching for a new opponent for Bautista, but no replacement has been secured at this time.
This was intended to be Vera`s first fight of 2025, aiming to bounce back from recent setbacks. “Chito” is currently on a two-fight losing streak and has lost three of his last four bouts. This run includes a decision loss to then-champion Sean O`Malley in his first title shot at UFC 299, and a unanimous decision defeat against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in his most recent fight last August at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Mario Bautista is currently on an impressive seven-fight winning streak, holding a UFC record of 9-2. The 31-year-old veteran secured a split decision victory over Jose Aldo in his last outing at UFC 307 in October.
UFC 316 is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight title rematch between Sean O`Malley and the current champion, Merab Dvalishvili.
