Alexander Volkanovski will still get to put his UFC featherweight title on the line in Q1, but he’ll just have to wait an extra month.
Volkanovski was originally due to face off against old rival Max Holloway in a trilogy bout at UFC 272 on March 5, but injury to the Hawaiian meant that matchup had to be scrapped from the event.
Hopes were high that Volkanovski would find a replacement opponent, with a host of fighters throwing their names into the mix for a short-notice matchup. The most notable of those was “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, who has had his wish granted and will now take on the champion in his next title defense.
That bout will take place at UFC 273, which takes place on April 9 at a location still to be determined.
In addition, the bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan also scheduled for UFC 272 has been pushed back to UFC 273 and will serve as the co-main event on April 9.
It means the two title fights that were booked in tandem for March 5 will remain linked, but following the opponent change for Volkanovski, the bouts will be pushed back a month.
UFC 272 will now be headlined by a welterweight non-title bout between longtime rivals Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.