Matt Frevola, Arman Tsarukyan to fight at UFC 257 after losing respective opponents

Just when he thought he was out, the UFC pulled Matt Frevola back in for UFC 257.

Frevola (8-1-1 MMA, 2-1-1 UFC) was originally booked to face Ottman Azaitar in a lightweight main card bout on Saturday night, and news emerged that his bout with Azaitar had been scratched from the fight card. Nonetheless, Frevola took to the scale and made weight at 155.5 pounds to keep himself in the mix for a potential replacement bout.

Initially, it appeared that Frevola would be left without a dance partner for Saturday’s event but, after Nasrat Haqparast was forced off the card due to illness, his lightweight bout with Arman Tsarukyan was also scratched.

Following negotiations backstage at the host hotel on Yas Island, a new matchup has now been set, with two sources close to the situation confirming to MMA Junkie that Frevola and Tsarukyan (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) have agreed to face off in a new matchup on Saturday night.

Tsarukyan missed weight at the official weigh-ins, initially tipping the scale at 159 pounds, then returning for a second attempt and registering a final pre-fight weight of 157 pounds. It means the matchup will be contested as a catchweight bout.

With the newly-booked matchup now added to the card, the new lineup for UFC 257 includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor

• Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker

• Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye

• Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez

• Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Matt Frevola vs. Arman Tsarukyan

• Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares

• Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena

• Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

• Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz

• Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov