UFC Vegas 104 Loses Major Contender Fight

Jacob Malkoun announces his withdrawal from UFC Vegas 104.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

One of the most exciting fights from UFC Vegas 104 on February 5 has fallen through.

Australia's Jacob Malkoun announced his withdrawal from his fight with Rodolfo Vieira in a solemn Instagram story on December 28. 'Mamba' was on track to earning a UFC ranking with a victory over Vieira, riding a 2-1 record in his last three fights, that one defeat being a disqualification by illegal elbows.

With enough notice, Vieira should be looking at a new opponent for February, 'The Black Belt Hunter' rides a two-fight submission streak.

Malkoun on Instagram

"I'm no longer fighting in Feb," Malkoun wrote. "I'm so frustrated that the injuries won't let me show the world that I'm one of the best middleweights in the world. ... I will do everything in my power to get back..."

With Malkoun out, UFC Vegas 104's lineup looks like this:

• Jared Gordon vs. Kaue Fernandes
• Rafael Estevam vs. Jesus Aguilar
• Valter Walker vs. Don'Tale Mayes
• Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dylan Budka
• Billy Goff vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
• Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews
• Rodolfo Vieira vs. TBA
• Julia Avila vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
• Gabriel Bonfim vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
• Ismaeil Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov
• Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues

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