Michael Johnson Replaces Zubaira Tukhugov Against Artem Lobov at UFC in Moncton

Michael Johnson has stepped into replace Zubaira Tukhugov in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night in Moncton where he now faces Artem Lobov on Oct. 27.

UFC officials announced the new pairing on Wednesday.

“Featherweight athlete Michael Johnson will be replacing Zubaira Tukhugov in the scheduled bout against Artem Lobov at UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith, due to an ongoing investigation by the Nevada Athletic Commission,” UFC officials said in a statement.

The investigation stems from Tukhugov’s involvement in the post fight brawl at UFC 229 after his teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov leapt over the cage in an attempt to get at Conor McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis.

While that was happening, Tukhugov ended up in a separate altercation with McGregor back inside the cage with several fighters going after the Irishman before security could intervene.

UFC president Dana White later said all of the fighters involved with the assault on McGregor would no longer compete for the organization. While that final decision hasn’t been made since the event, Tukhugov is definitely off the card on Oct. 27.

In his place, Johnson will step up on less than two weeks notice as he attempts to get his second win in the featherweight division after defeating Andre Fili earlier this year.

Johnson vs. Lobov will serve as the co-main event for the UFC card in Moncton, which is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former title contender Volkan Oezdemir and Anthony Smith.