Aug 20, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Amir Albazi (red gloves) reacts after defeating Francisco Figueiredo (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC Vegas 108 Takes a Major Hit As Highly Anticipated Flyweight Bout Officially Called Off

UFC Vegas 108 card gets a shock as the main event fight featuring top flyweights gets cancelled!

The UFC’s flyweight division has been quietly building some serious momentum lately. Alexandre Pantoja has been a dominant champion, cleaning out contenders left and right since claiming the belt. The division finally seemed to have a clear path forward with some genuinely exciting matchups on the horizon.

But as fans all know, the sport loves to throw curveballs when they are least expected. Just when everything was lining up perfectly for the flyweights to showcase their skills on a big stage, disaster struck. UFC Vegas 108 was supposed to feature one of the most important fights in the division, but now the entire event is scrambling to find a new direction.

UFC Vegas 108 Main Event Disaster Leaves UFC Scrambling

The originally planned headliner between Tatsuro Taira and Amir Albazi has been officially called off, leaving UFC brass in full panic mode. This wasn’t just any regular fight getting cancelled. This was a genuine title eliminator between two of the division’s hottest prospects. Taira, ranked sixth, and Albazi, sitting at fourth, represented the future of the flyweight division.

Per sources next week's main event between Taira and Albazi is off. New main event announcement coming soon.
— Dan (@BestFightPicks) July 27, 2025

The cancellation came as a shock to many fans who were already questioning the card’s overall strength. Let’s be honest, UFC Vegas events at the Apex don’t exactly scream “must-see television” compared to the big arena shows. The smaller venue and limited crowd always make these cards feel a bit underwhelming. Now with the main event gone, the promotion has to work overtime to salvage what’s left of the card.

Social media broke the news first, as it usually does these days. Several outlets confirmed what many suspected when Taira posted a cryptic message on Instagram. His “when one door closes, another opens” caption had fight fans reading between the lines. Meanwhile, Albazi has been radio silent on social media, which only added fuel to the speculation fire.

This cancellation throws a major wrench into the flyweight division’s carefully planned future. Both fighters were positioned as the next logical challengers after Joshua Van gets his shot at Pantoja. The winner of Taira vs Albazi was expected to immediately step into a title fight, creating a nice pipeline of contenders.

The flyweight division can’t afford too many setbacks like this. While the talent level has never been higher, the division still struggles for mainstream attention compared to the bigger weight classes. Having marquee fights fall through only makes it harder to build the momentum these incredible athletes deserve.

(Image Credit: Jeffrey Swinger – Imagn Images)

Amir Albazi

Tatsuro Taira

UFC Vegas 108

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!