Illness Ejects Randy Brown From UFC 296 Matchup Against Muslim Salikhov

Some sort of flu wave seems to be washing over the fighter hotel in Las Vegas this week.

On Wednesday, Ian Garry was forced out of his pairing with Vicente Luque due to a flu illness that developed into pneumonia. Another welterweight matchup from UFC 296 is off the table due to a similar situation. First reported by MMA Mania, Randy Brown (17-5) succumbed to the flu that put him in the hospital. As a result, he has withdrawn from his battle with Muslim Salikhov (19-4) on Saturday.

It is unclear if the promotion will be able to slot in late replacement fighters for either Luque or Salikhov, or pair them up against one another. Kevin Holland has been calling for the former, asking for a 180-pound catchweight contest with Luque. The news was subsequently confirmed by multiple outlets as well as Brown on Thursday night.

A disappointed Brown posted about his illness on Thursday, writing, "The news is unfortunate. I did everything possible to stay in the fight but when I went to the hospital the doctors deemed me unfit to compete due to the flu. I'll be back early next year to put on a banger."

Brown was aiming to get some momentum going after returning to the win column with a decision victory over Wellington Turman in June. That put a submission defeat to Jack Della Maddalena in February in the rear-view mirror. Before getting tapped by Maddalena, Brown had won four straight, putting away Alex Oliveira and then claiming decision over Jared Gooden, Kalinn Williams and Francisco Trinaldo in 2021 and 2022.

“The King of Kung Fu” was searching for his first victory this year, as his previous 2023 appearance did not go his way when Nicolas Dalby outworked him over three rounds. The 39-year-old has alternated wins and losses in his last four, although he retains a highlight-reel knockout of Andre Fialho in 2022 when he wiped out the Portugal-based fighter with a spinning wheel kick. Throughout his career, Salikhov has officially notched five triumphs via spinning strike.

At the moment, UFC 296 will carry on with 12 bouts—assuming Luque and Salikhov do not get new opponents—on Dec. 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will conclude with a 170-pound championship headliner of Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington still intact. The co-main attraction for flyweight gold sees Alexandre Pantoja rematch Brandon Royval. Additionally on the main card, Shavkat Rakhmonov throws down with Stephen Thompson in a pivotal welterweight clash, while Tony Ferguson looks for his first win in over four years when he takes on Paddy Pimblett.