The UFC Baku event has encountered another setback, with a fight being removed from the lineup just one month before the event is scheduled to take place.
The mixed martial arts promotion is preparing for its second visit to Azerbaijan’s capital with a Fight Night event, UFC Baku, set for June 27th at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku.
According to a report from the Swedish publication Frontkick, Andreas Gustafsson has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled welterweight bout against Daniil Donchenko at UFC Baku next month due to significant health concerns.
The issue is understood to be heart-related, with the report suggesting that “Bane” has been experiencing atrial fibrillation and recurrent heart episodes that intensified during his training camp. Despite maintaining strong physical condition, the symptoms reportedly worsened, ultimately leading to his withdrawal from the fight.
Consequently, the 35-year-old Swedish fighter must step away from competition for the foreseeable future to focus on his health.
Gustafsson secured his UFC contract with a knockout victory over Pat Pytlik on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2024. He made his Octagon debut at UFC 316 in June 2025, earning a unanimous decision win against Khaos Williams.
However, “Bane” was subsequently defeated via first-round knockout by Rinat Fakhretdinov in his next appearance at UFC Paris. He currently holds a professional record of 12 wins and 3 losses.
Regarding Donchenko, it remains uncertain whether he will face a last-minute replacement opponent or be removed from the UFC Baku card entirely. The 24-year-old Ukrainian fighter earned his UFC spot with a first-round knockout win over Matt Dixon on The Ultimate Fighter 33 in March 2025.
Donchenko’s last fight was at UFC Vegas 113 in February, where he achieved a unanimous decision victory over veteran Alex Morono. He currently has a 2-0 record in the UFC and an overall professional record of 13 wins and 2 losses.
This marks the second bout cancellation for the June 27th card, as former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori announced last week that he had to withdraw from UFC Baku due to a broken rib, leading to the cancellation of his scheduled fight with Ismail Naurdiev.
UFC Baku Full Fight Card (Updated)
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres – lightweight (main event)
- Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira – middleweight (co-main event)
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira – middleweight
- Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Andrey Pulyaev – middleweight
- Asu Almabayaev vs. Charles Johnson – flyweight
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. Matheus Camilo – lightweight
- Abul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Julius Walker – light heavyweight
- Daniil Donchenko vs. TBA – welterweight
- Bekzat Almakhan vs. Jean Matsumoto – bantamweight
- Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk – middleweight
- Farman Hasanov vs. Eric Nolan – welterweight
- Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune – heavyweight
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. TBA – middleweight
- Kaan Ofli vs. Javier Reyes – featherweight