Canadian featherweight Charles (Air) Jourdain is stepping in on short notice to face unbeaten Ilia (The Matador) Topuria on the UFC 270 undercard Saturday.
Topuria (11-0-0) was due to meet Movsar Evloev but the unbeaten Russian, who beat Canadian (Mean) Hakeem Dawodu last time out, has been withdrawn due to COVID-19 protocols.
The main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., pits heavyweight champion Francis (The Predator) Ngannou, who was born in Cameroon but fights out of Las Vegas, against interim title-holder Cyril (Bon Gamin) Gane of France.
Born in Germany, Topuria now fights out of Spain. He has won all three UFC bouts to date, earning decisions over Youssef (The Moroccan Devil) Zalal, Damon (The Leech) Jackson and Ryan (The Wizard) Hall.
Jourdain (12-4-1) is coming off a December win over Andre (Mr. Highlight) Ewell. The 26-year-old from Beloeil, Que., is 3-3-1 in the UFC.
Jourdain was a two-division champion in the Montreal-based TKO promotion prior to joining the UFC. He made his UFC debut on short notice and fighting in a different weight class in May 2019, losing a unanimous decision at lightweight to Desmond (The Predator) Green.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 18, 2022.
The Canadian Press
