Francis Ngannou removed from UFC 215

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou will have to wait a little bit longer for his next fight.

There will be no Francis Ngannou at UFC 215 on September 9th.

After Junior dos Santos was pulled from the event due to a failed drug test for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, UFC officials tried to find a suitable replacement opponent for the rising heavyweight contender to face. Ngannou himself admitted that the chances of remaining on the card were unlikely, and while he wanted to take on Alistair Overeem on very short notice, Overeem is on the mend with an injury, so that was off the table. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani later confirmed Ngannou’s removal from the card, and it is unknown when we’ll see Francis rebooked for another event.

Ngannou (10-1) is currently the #4 ranked heavyweight contender, only behind Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, and Cain Velasquez. All of his wins have come by stoppage, including a 92-second wipeout of former champion Andrei Arlovski back in January. The 30-year-old recently moved from France to train full-time in the United States.

UFC 215 takes place at the Rogers Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and is headlined by a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg. Women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes takes on Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event.