Marif Piraev has pulled out of his scheduled fight against Arthur Pronin at Fight Nights on May 23. Stepping in as a replacement opponent for Pronin will be Gadzhi Omargazhiev. No reason was given for Piraev's withdrawal from the card. The matchup change was announced just days before the event. Details about the weight class or specific circumstances of the replacement remain limited in the post.
A late change has shaken up a scheduled Fight Nights matchup, with Gadzhi Omargazhiev stepping in to face Arthur Pronin on May 23 after Marif Piraev withdrew from the bout. The swap was announced just days before the event, and no official reason was provided for Piraev's exit.
Omargazhiev, fighting out of Russia under the CSKA Moscow banner, enters on short notice carrying a professional record of 13 wins and 2 losses at 33 years of age. The six-foot-one southpaw-to-orthodox switch-hitter owns a 71-inch reach and brings a measured, well-rounded game to the cage. He averages 1.8 significant strikes landed per minute and has a takedown rate of 1.35 per fifteen minutes, suggesting he is comfortable mixing his attack across both range and the grapple.
Details surrounding the weight class for the rescheduled contest were not disclosed in the announcement, nor were specifics about what led to Piraev's withdrawal.
Why it matters
- Omargazhiev accepts the fight on short notice, which could affect his preparation against an opponent originally slated to face a different style
- The absence of weight class information leaves key context around divisional stakes unclear heading into the event
- Pronin now faces an entirely different opponent less than a week out, demanding a rapid tactical reset for his camp
