UFC 309 card takes a hit after the exciting lightweight bout was canceled

One of the UFC's up-and-coming lightweights is 28-year-old Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy. He was scheduled to face Charlie Campbell in a potentially entertaining matchup at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden on November 16, but the fight is off.

According to MMA Junkie's Nolan King, Campbell has withdrawn and Tapology also listed the fight as canceled. While Campbell is on a three-fight winning streak, most MMA fans who saw Luffy fight were probably more excited to see him compete again.

Luffy secured a spot on the UFC roster with a third-round TKO win over Raimond Magomedaliev in October 2023 on the seventh season of the Dana White Contender Series. Luffy followed that up with a spectacular first-round TKO win over Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 301 in May.

Here's a look at some reactions to the news that Campbell is out and Luffy could be without an opponent at UFC 309.

When you see Luffy fight, you know why people are upset that they may not be able to see the Brazilian fight again this year. Some have compared him to Conor McGregor due to his fighting stance and striking style.

Honestly, there's just something cool about the way he fights. It's a mood. Watch Luffy's knockout victories as a professional mixed martial artist in this video.

Like current middleweight contender Caio Borralho, lightweight wrecking ball Jean Silva and up-and-coming welterweight Carlos Prates, Ruffy comes from the Fighting Nerd camp.

The Fighting Nerds could be the most promising MMA gym or membership in 2024, and there may be more on the way, with 19-year-old Ava “Black Queen” Santos potentially turning pro soon.

She has a perfect 10-0 ranking as an amateur with placings.

It's still early enough for the UFC to find an opponent for Luffy, but that has proven difficult after his impressive start in the UFC. Perhaps the matchmakers will consider one of the fighters who recently signed contracts with the UFC on Season 8 of DWCS.

Kody Steele, Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada and Quillan Salkilld are the three lightweights who have received contracts. Steele might be the most touted of the three, so one might be hesitant to pit them against each other, as he and Luffy are talented enough to be title contenders down the road.

In any case, many in the MMA community would like another opportunity to watch Luffy get eliminated and move closer to the top 15 of the highly competitive lightweight division.

More UFC news – UFC 308

UFC 308 takes place on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The headline of the card reads: Ilia Topuria defends his UFC men's featherweight title against former champion Max Holloway.

Be on the lookout for fight week coverage. Here's a look at the full map.

Main Card – 2:00 p.m. ET

• (c) Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway – UFC Featherweight Championship
• Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
• Magomed Ankalaev vs Aleksandar Rakic
• Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige
• Shara Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan

Undercard – 10 a.m. ET

• Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
• Myktybek Orolbai vs. Mateusz Rebecki
• Abus Magomedov vs Brunno Ferreira
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Chris Barnett
• Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Carlos Leal
• Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
• Ibo Aslan vs Raffael Cerqueira