DWCS standout Baysangur Susurkaev added to UFC 319 on quick turnaround

Dana White wasn’t kidding when he said the UFC’s matchmakers would look to give Baysangur Susurkaev a quick turnaround following his impressive showing this week on the season nine debut of the Contender Series.

Susurkaev has been added to the UFC 319 preliminary card and will fight fellow UFC newcomer Eric Nolan this weekend in Chicago, just four days after earning a UFC contract.

The 24-year-old from Chechnya, Russia, improved to 9-0 in professional mixed martial arts with a first-round technical knockout win over Murtaza Talha on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Susurkaev landed a body kick that saw Talha crumple to the canvas just three minutes into the fight.

Susurkaev had also accepted that Contender Series bout on less than one week’s notice. 

“I haven’t been this excited about a guy in a very long time,” the UFC president said of Susurkaev and his standout performance.

Susurkaev trains with some of the top middleweights in the sport and has helped UFC 319 headliner Khamzat Chimaev prepare for a middleweight title fight main event against 185-pound champion Dricus Du Plessis. Susurkaev also trains with middleweight contender Gregory Rodrigues and is trained by former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.

Meanwhile, Nolan is 8-3 as a pro after going 6-0 as an amateur and will also be making his UFC debut on short notice. Nolan has won four consecutive fights, including three in a row by knockout. The 27-year-old American became the Cage Fury Fighting Championships welterweight champion in May, and he typically competes at 170 pounds, although Saturday’s bout will take place in the middleweight division.

Green vs. Ferreira to be rescheduled

Susurkaev’s addition wasn’t the only change to the UFC 319 preliminary card.

Saturday’s prelims were originally slated to be headlined by veteran lightweights Bobby “King” Green and Diego Ferreira, however, that 155-pound bout has been removed from the card and will be rescheduled.

The UFC has confirmed the news following an initial report from Cole Shelton of BJPenn.com. Ferreira told Shelton he was unsure why the bout was being cancelled, but MMAFighting’s Mike Heck reported Green sustained an undisclosed injury, which forced him to withdraw from the event.

Green and Ferreira are two of the most experienced lightweights on the UFC roster.

TUF welterweight final rescheduled

Additionally, the TUF welterweight final bout between Rodrigo Sezinando and Daniil Donchenko has been taken off the card and will be rescheduled to a later date, the UFC announced Thursday.

The fight was cancelled due to injury.

Both fighters were members of Team Cormier and made noise throughout the welterweight bracket on season 33 of The Ultimate Fighter.

It was set to be a bout of contrasting styles. Sezinando (8-1) has done most of his damage on takedowns and on the ground, routinely wearing his opponents down from top position. Donchenko (11-2), meanwhile, is an adept striker, having earned seven of his pro MMA wins via knockout or TKO.

It was not announced when the fight would be rescheduled.

The TUF flyweight final is still set for this weekend as Alibi Idiris takes on Joseph Morales in the opening bout at UFC 319.

Updated UFC 319 bout order (subject to change):

MAIN CARD

-- Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev (for UFC middleweight title)

-- Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico

-- Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates

-- Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page

-- Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura

PRELIMINARY CARD

-- Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan

-- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk

-- Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez

-- Alexander Hernandez vs. Chase Hooper

-- Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose

-- Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

-- Karine Silva vs. Dione Barbosa

-- Alibi Idiris vs. Joseph Morales (TUF 33 flyweight final)