With Sergei Pavlovich out, Ciryl Gane vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov targeted for Sept. 19 UFC event

Ciryl Gane’s fight with Shamil Abdurakhimov is set to be rebooked for a third time.

Gane had been scheduled to meet Sergei Pavlovich at the UFC’s Aug. 8 event, but Pavlovich announced Wednesday morning that he will undergo knee surgery to repair an old injury. As a result, the UFC is targeting Gane vs. Abdurakhimov its Sept. 19 event expected to take place in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the impending booking Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Gane (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) originally was scheduled to face Abdurakhimov (20-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on April 18 but was forced out because of a collapsed lung. The pair were then scheduled to face off July 11, but Abdurakhimov was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons.

Gane was then slated to face Pavlovich but will now go back to his original opponent, Abdurakhimov.

Since joining the UFC roster, France’s undefeated Gane has gone 3-0. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Tanner Boser last December at UFC on ESPN+ 23.

Abdurakhimov saw his three-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Curtis Blaydes last September at UFC 242. Prior to that, he picked up three straight wins over Chase Sherman, Andrei Arlovski and Marcin Tybura.

With the addition, the Sept. 19 lineup includes:

• Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos
• Hakeem Dawodu vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
• Shamil Abdurkhaimov vs. Ciryl Gane