Dana White suffered another setback with his upcoming PPV inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Team Khabib’s Said Nurmagomedov was set to take on Daniel Santos on the preliminary card at UFC 308. Well, the latter withdrew a few days ago, for undisclosed reasons.

The fight automatically put the UFC on alert as they sought a replacement. However, MMA journalist Nolan King has reported on social media that Said Nurmagomeodv’s fight has now been taken out of the event, indicating that the promotion failed to find a suitable replacement.

Said seems to be having the same troubles as Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ also had to deal with long layoffs for many factors, including the cancelation of fights. In 2024, Said is yet to compete inside the Octagon. It will be interesting to see how Dana White can make it possible for the bantamweight star to have at least one fight this year in the next couple of months.

This isn’t the first fight plan in 2024 that went to waste for Said Nurmagomedov. The Dagestan native was also planned to compete in UFC’s maiden event in Saudi Arabia. However, it was he who pulled out of the fight back then without a proper explanation, and now, the same thing happened to him this time when his opponent pulled out in similar fashion.

However, the majority of the PPV card has remained intact, as Khamzat Chimaev is definitely in the right mind and health to compete this time out. Nevertheless, Dana White did have an option as the replacement opponent for Said Nurmagomedov, who he didn’t seem to consider putting on the UFC 308 card. However, it was not a bantamweight; it was the flyweight contender, ‘INNERG’ Charles Johnson.

Charles Johnson wanted to compete against Said Nurmagomedov at UFC 308

If there’s anyone who’s gone under the radar this year, it’s been Charles Johnson. The man has had probably his best year in the UFC with four wins in 2024. He’s currently on a 4-fight winning streak and doesn’t seem to be done fighting this year as he shared a message to Dana White following the blow to the UFC 308 PPV in Abu Dhabi. Johnson was all in for the Said Nurmagomedov challenge.

“I want to do great things in this life. I like the fight. Said Nurmogamedov is great. So am I,” Charles Johnson tweeted. “[Dana White] [Mick Maynard] call me.” However, the call never came and as far as reports are concerned, removing one fight from the prelims didn’t seem that big of a deal for Dana White as we wait to see how the PPV fares with two big-time featured fights.

What do you think will be the course of action for Dana White regarding Said Nurmagomedov? Do you think Team Khabib’s member will get his 2024 fight? Let us know in the comments below.