Sanjeet Budhwar has been pulled from the Matrix Fight Night 12 card due to sickness. The event is over three weeks away but the featherweight champion has already confirmed he will be unable to compete.

Budhwar had been set to defend his title against Mochamed Machaev in the main event. But while the champion is no longer on the card Matrix Fight Night has found an alternative opponent for the Austrian.

Undefeated opponent

Machaev will now be facing Khabibullo Azizov in a non title bout. The undefeated Russian has been drafted in to replace the unwell Budhwar.

Azizov (10-0) is a blue chip prospect but has yet to be tested against experienced opposition. None of his previous opponents had more than four wins which makes this a difficult looking matchup for the Russian.

Machaev (13-1) is only 23 but made his pro debut in 2017. He has fought for both UAE Warriors and Brave and has beaten some experienced featherweights.

 

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Two titles 

Matrix Fight Night 12 is set for Uttar Pradesh on July 1st. There are two title fights remaining on the card and both feature Indian fighters defending their belts against foreign opponents.

Puja Tomar (7-4) will be making the first defence of the strawweight title she won at Matrix Fight Night 10. The ONE Championship veteran will be looking to make it four wins in a row when she faces China’s Feier Huang (11-6).

Angad Bisht (9-3) will be making the first defence of his flyweight title and going in search of his fifth straight win. He has also been handed a very difficult looking bout against Brazilian Hugo Paiva (6-1).

 

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Best of the rest

The event is set for the Noida Indoor Stadium and this card has been put together by Krishna Shroff following the departure of matchmaker Alan Fenandes. In total there are 12 fights on the card.

In the light heavyweight division two Indian fighters will collide for the third time. Pawan Maan and Sandeep Dahiya both started out with the now defunct Super Fight League but have competed on two separate Matrix Fight Night cards.

Matrix Fight Night 12, Uttar Pradesh, July 1st
Khabibullo Azizov vs. Mochamed Machaev (Featherweight)
Angad Bisht vs. Hugo Paiva (For flyweight title)
Puja Tomar (c) vs. Huang Feier (For strawweight title)
Chungreng Koren vs. Chaitanya Gavali (Bantamweight)
Rahul Thapa vs. Avizo Lanamai (Featherweight)
Shyamanand vs. Mido Mohamed (Featherweight)
Neeraj Panghal vs. Digamber Singh Rawat (Lightweight)
Pawan Maan vs. Sandeep Dahiya (Light Heavyweight)
Gurtej Singh vs. Edukondal Rao (Lightweight)
Sonam Zomba vs. Jojo Rajkumari (Strawweight)
Dushyant Singh vs. Anthony Syiem (Featherweight)
Aminder Bisht vs. Abhimanyu Rai (Flyweight)