UFC Baku Matchup Axed After Fighter Faces Serious Heart Complication, Career Uncertain
UFC Baku has taken another hit, with a fight scrapped from the card just a month out from the event.
The MMA promotion is set to make its second trip to Azerbaijan’s capital with a Fight Night event titled UFC Baku scheduled for June 27 at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku.
According to a report from Swedish outlet Frontkick, Andreas Gustafsson has been forced out of his scheduled welterweight bout against Daniil Donchenko at UFC Baku next month due to serious health concerns.
The issue is believed to be heart-related, with the report indicating that “Bane” has been dealing with atrial fibrillation and recurring heart episodes that worsened during training camp. Despite being in strong physical shape, the symptoms reportedly intensified, ultimately ruling him out of the fight.
Consequently, the 35-year-old Swedish fighter has had to step away from competition for the foreseeable future to prioritize his health.
Gustafsson earned his UFC contract with a knockout victory over Pat Pytlik on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2024. He made his Octagon debut at UFC 316 in June 2025, securing a unanimous decision win over Khaos Williams.
However, “Bane” was stopped via first-round knockout by Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC Paris in his following outing. He currently holds a professional record of 12–3.
As for Donchenko, it remains unclear whether he will face a short-notice replacement or withdraw from the UFC Baku card altogether. The 24-year-old Ukrainian earned his way into the UFC with a first-round knockout victory over Matt Dixon on The Ultimate Fighter 33 in March 2025.
Donchenko was last seen in action at UFC Vegas 113 in February, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over veteran Alex Morono. He is currently 2-0 in the UFC and holds an overall professional record of 13-2.
This is the second bout to fall through for the June 27 card, as last week, former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori announced that he was forced to withdraw from UFC Baku due to a broken rib, canceling his scheduled matchup with Ismail Naurdiev.
UFC Baku Full Fight Card
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres – lightweight (main event)
- Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira – middleweight (co-main event)
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira – middleweight
- Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Andrey Pulyaev – middleweight
- Asu Almabayaev vs. Charles Johnson – flyweight
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. Matheus Camilo – lightweight
- Abul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Julius Walker – light heavyweight
- Daniil Donchenko vs. TBA – welterweight
- Bekzat Almakhan vs. Jean Matsumoto – bantamweight
- Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk – middleweight
- Farman Hasanov vs. Eric Nolan – welterweight
- Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune – heavyweight
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. TBA – middleweight
- Kaan Ofli vs. Javier Reyes – featherweight
