Reza Madadi, who was scheduled to face Marc Diakiese in just seven days time. has suffered an injury and has been pulled from the card. The UFC have found Diakiese a replacement, and it’s in the form of Lukasz Sajewski.
The reason for Madadi’s withdrawal was an eye injury. FloCombat announced the news.
Diakiese (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a household name on the UK MMA scene and is known as a scintillating fighter with vicious knockout power. “Bonecrusher” was 4-0 when he made his BAMMA debut, and after stringing together three straight decision victories, had seven professional MMA wins and a Lonsdale Lightweight title shot. Diakiese finished a bout for the first time since his fourth pro bout, dispatching of then undefeated Rick Selvarajah in just 24-seconds. Then, at BAMMA 25, Diakiese came up against his ultimate rival. The ASW product faced Kane Mousah following years of fierce trash talk. As the fight got closer, the talk became more intense, and after it nearly boiling over at weigh-ins, Diakiese and Mousah fought. With years of bad blood, thousands of words spoken, and what seemed like a real dislike between the two, the crowd were silent. The pair were introduced, and the referee told them to fight. A few feints, one or two meaningless shots, and then the finish came. At just 36-seconds of the first round, Diakiese planted Mousah with a right hand, ending the fight and the rivalry.
Sajewski (13-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was 13-0 when he made his promotional debut in 2015, and faced Nick Hein in his first bout. Sajewski battled the German in his own backyard for three round but eventually lost a decision. In his second, and most recent UFC outing, Sajewski faced highly touted prospect Gilbert Burns at UFC Fight Night 90. Sajewski was submitted with just three seconds remaining in the first round.
UFC 204 takes place live from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England on Nov. 8. The card is set to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Brit Michael Bisping and longtime rival Dan Henderson.
