A second Kazakh fighter from the UFC lost his opponent just before the match.

Kazakhstan's Aсу Алмабаев, who is ranked in the Top-8 of the UFC flyweight division, has found himself without an opponent just a month before his scheduled fight, reports Caravan.kz.

Almabaev (ranked 8th) was set to face Australian Steve Erceg, who is ranked 9th, during the UFC Vegas 103 event on the night of March 1-2, according to Kazakhstan time. However, Erceg unexpectedly withdrew from the match against Asu without providing a reason.

The information about the Australian's withdrawal was shared by the MMA account Melotto, which revealed that Steve opted to fight not against Asu on March 1, but against former UFC champion Brandon Moreno from Mexico, who is currently ranked 2nd. The Moreno-Erceg bout is anticipated to take place on March 29 in Mexico City.

As for who Aсу Алмабаев will fight next, that remains unknown.

Previously, another Kazakh fighter in the UFC, Nikolai Veretennikov, also lost his opponent.