The UFC is actively looking for a new opponent to face Brazilian lightweight Thiago Moises in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21 after Guram Kutateladze pulled out of UFC 283 due to undisclosed reasons, MMA Fighting has learned. Ag. Fight first reported Kutateladze’s withdrawal.
Moises (16-6) is looking to keep the momentum going after choking out Christos Giagos in his most recent octagon appearance in June 2022, winning via first-round submission to bounce back from stoppage defeats to Joel Alvarez and future lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Kutateladze (12-3) joined the UFC on an eight-fight winning streak and defeated Mateusz Gamrot via split decision in his octagon debut in 2020, but only returned two years later to face Damir Ismagulov. The “Georgian Viking” lost via split decision.
UFC 283 will air on pay-per-view and be topped by a pair of championship bouts. Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno collide for the fourth time in the co-main event, a title unification match at flyweight, while Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill clash for the vacant light heavyweight throne.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.