Report: UFC Shanghai expected to move to Las Vegas; several fights off
The UFC Fight Night card scheduled to take place Dec. 9 in Shanghai is expected to shift to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, sources told MMA Fighting's Damon Martin and Mike Heck.
It is unclear what prompted the change in location.
Chinese bantamweight Song Yadong is slated to headline the event against Chris Gutierrez. The fight was reported last week but hasn't been confirmed by the UFC.
Though the main event is still intact, the late move to Las Vegas could greatly impact the rest of the lineup as it predominantly includes Asia-based fighters.
A light heavyweight bout between Brendon Ribeiro and Mingyang Zhang has already been canceled due to travel issues, sources told MMA Junkie's Nolan King.
Additionally, the four Road to UFC tournament matchups that were scheduled for the preliminary card in Shanghai have been postponed, according to TSN's Aaron Bronsteter.
The UFC last held an event in China in 2019 and in Shanghai in 2017. The promotion currently has one champion from the country, strawweight Zhang Weili. It opened a Performance Institute in Shanghai four years ago to help recruit up-and-coming MMA talent.
Dec. 9 will mark the UFC's penultimate event of 2023, with UFC 296 - headlined by a welterweight title bout between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington - ending the calendar year.