Antonio Trocoli’s visa issue has cost him his UFC contract. The Brazilian fighter was scheduled to take on Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 282 this weekend inside Las Vegas, however, the fight was pulled off due to visa issues. Now, according to the latest reports, UFC has voided Trocoli’s contract and has released him from the promotion. Needless to say, this has shocked some UFC fans.
Trocoli is 12-3 in his mixed martial arts career. After earning a contract at Dana White’s Contender Series back in July of 2019, the Brazilian fighter got tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone and was eventually handed out a lengthy suspension. Saint Preux remains without an opponent for the time being and UFC is actively looking for an opponent.
Who will Ovince Saint Preux fight at UFC 282?
Ovince Saint Preux was set to take on Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 282. However, the former UFC light-heavyweight title challenger later pulled out of the fight due to undisclosed reasons. The UFC veteran was then paired against former PFL champion Philipe Lins. Unfortunately, even that fight was pulled off after Lins’ withdrawal from the fight.
There are no details regarding UFC’s decision to void Antonio Trocoli’s contract with the company. Needless to say, the Brazilian fighter will look for another promotion. Since his win at UFC DWCS, Trocoli has only fought once. He is coming off a first-round stoppage win at Brazilian Fighting Series 3.
Who wants to fight this weekend?! #UFC282
— Ovince Saint Preux (@003_OSP) December 6, 2022
UFC 282 has seen as many as three fights getting pulled out. Initially, Jiri Prochazka pulled out of his title fight as he vacated the light-heavyweight gold following a serious shoulder injury.
Robbie Lawler also pulled out of his fight against Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio and was later replaced by Alex Morono. The card has seen several shuffles in the line-up leading up to the event, with Darren Till finding a spot on the main card, after initially getting booked in the prelims.