UFC drops fighter from Moncton event after Las Vegas brawl

One of the main competitors at an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Monctonsubsidized by the cityhas been replaced byanother fighter after a brawl in Las Vegas earlier this month.

ZubairaTukhugovwas supposed to fightArtemLobovduringUFCFight Night onOct. 27 event at theAvenirCentre. UFCconfirmedTukhugovwas dropped Wednesdaybecause of an ongoing investigationby the Nevada Athletic Commission.

The commission is examining an Oct. 6 brawl inside and outside the octagonat UFC 229 afterKhabibNurmagomedovdefeatedConor McGregor. A member ofNurmagomedov's team, identified asTukhugov, climbed into the cage and allegedly attacked McGregor.

Instead,UFCsaidLobovwill go up against featherweightMichael Johnson.

It's a fight Moncton taxpayers are paying to bring to the city. Last month, city council voted to spend $150,000 to cover a portion of the bid fee.

Mike Broad from Moncton said he bought tickets for the Oct. 27 event at the AvenirCentre as quickly as he could.While he was looking forward to seeingTukhugov, he called the decision to replace him with Johnsona good move by UFC.

"I think it's a very fair move and I agree with it," Broadsaid in an interview.

UFC debut in Moncton

The UFCstatement saidJohnson vs.Lobovwill serve as the co-main event on thecard as UFCmakes its debut in Moncton.

Michael Williams withElite1 MMA Productions, which holds mixed martial arts events at the MonctonCasino, said he'll be going to theevent and thinks UFCmade the right call by replacingTukhugov.

He doesn't think the change will affect interest in the fight.

"I don't think it's going to make any difference to the attendance at all," he said. "I think Johnson is going to come in there and perform and it's going to be a good fight."

'Great for the city'

Williams hopes to see a full house at the event.

"I think it's great for the city, for the fans," he said.

Monctonis paying $100,000 of a $250,000 bid fee to bring the event to the Avenir Centre. An arms-length committee called Events Moncton, funded by the city and province, also contributed $50,000.

SMGCanada, the private venue management firm that operates the centre, is contributing $100,000 toward the bid fee.

The city hopes the event will promptspending at nearby hotels and businesses, generating at least $3 million in economic spinoffs.

A significant number of tickets appeared to still be available Thursday.

A singleticketon Ticketmaster ranged from $78.85 to$979.82 including taxes and fees on Thursday.

Broad said it will be his first timeattending a UFCevent and he's pleased it is coming to the East Coast.

"It's quite an auspicious event," Broad said.