Alptekin Ozkilic Injury Scraps Planned Dustin Ortiz Conflict at UFC Fight Night 40

An injury has forced Alptekin Ozkilic out of UFC Fight Night 40. | Andy Hemingway/Sherdog.com

UFC officials announced Thursday that Ozkilic was forced to withdraw from the contest due to injury. As a result, Ortiz will now receive a new opponent on a different fight card. UFC Fight Night 40 takes place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy Nelson.

Ozkilic, 28, began his MMA career with eight wins in his first nine fights but came up short in his sophomore UFC appearance, in which former Pacific Xtreme Combat champion Louis Smolka bested him via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 35.

A 15-fight pro, Ortiz, 25, was victorious in his UFC debut last November but found no favor with the judges’ in his most recent outing, which ended in a controversial split decision defeat to John Moraga on Jan. 15. The setback snapped a four-fight winning streak for the Tachi Palace Fights alum, who owns nine of his 12 victories by either knockout or submission.