Azamat Murzakanov will face Brendson Ribeiro at UFC 316 after Johnny Walker withdrew from the June 7 event in Newark, NJ. The reason for Walker’s removal remains unclear. Murzakanov (14-0) aims to extend his winning streak to five, having last fought in August 2024, earning a bonus for his knockout of Alonzo Menifield. Ribeiro (17-7, 1 NC), after a rough start in the UFC, rebounded with a decision win over Caio Machado and a submission victory against Diyar Nurgozhay. UFC 316 also features bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his title against Sean O’Malley, with Julianna Peña co-headlining.
Sure! Here’s a rewritten version while keeping the HTML tags intact:
<div>
<p id="N4XMfq">Azamat Murzakanov is set to face Brendson Ribeiro at UFC 316 after Brazilian light heavyweight Johnny Walker had to withdraw from the June 7 pay-per-view event in Newark, N.J., as confirmed by MMA Fighting following a report from Super Lutas.</p>
<p id="uMmkx5">The reasons for Walker's exit from the matchup are still unknown.</p>
<p id="XIaIs5">Murzakanov (14-0) aims to extend his UFC winning streak to five in New Jersey. He last fought in August 2024, earning a bonus for his knockout victory over Alonzo Menifield, marking his second $50,000 prize in the organization. The winner of the Brave CF openweight grand prix has also achieved stoppages in the UFC against Tafon Nchukwi and Devin Clark.</p>
<p id="ES9hp4">Former Shooto Brazil champion Ribeiro (17-7, 1 no contest) faced a tough start in the promotion with losses to Zhang Mingyang and Magomed Gadzhiyasulov but managed to bounce back with a lackluster decision win against Caio Machado and a second-round kimura victory over the previously unbeaten Diyar Nurgozhay.</p>
<p id="wIzxaj">UFC 316 will take place at Prudential Center and will feature men’s bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his title in a main event rematch against Sean O’Malley. Julianna Peña will co-headline the event, putting her women’s 135-pound title on the line against two-time PFL champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.</p>
<p id="F6SRcE"><em>Mike Heck contributed to this report.</em></p>
</div>