UFC Vegas 123: Moicano meets Nolan after Bekoev, Leal, Bolanos withdraw

UFC Vegas 123 has lost three of its original fighters in a week, and the most alarming exit was Azamat Bekoev's. The Russian middleweight said on X that he suffered an anaphylactic reaction, reached a CVS for medication, then passed out inside the store and needed an ambulance. He apologized to Andre Petroski, the UFC and fans, said he had never pulled out of a fight before, and promised to be back soon. He gave no trigger and no return date.

Petroski, 35, will not get a replacement on Halloween. He is now booked for UFC Vegas 124 on Nov. 7 against Mantas Kondratavicius.

The undercard shifted again. Carlos Leal left his welterweight bout with Randy Brown, and Jacobe Smith stepped in. Yardbarker MMA reported Leal withdrew over a leg injury and that Gaston Bolanos left his fight with Francis Marshall after a training cut; Marshall now meets Dakota Hope. Smith is 33, a southpaw and a former Oklahoma State wrestler, and he takes the fight less than two weeks after knocking out Bruce Whitehead in round one at UFC 332. Brown is on back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.

The main event has its own backstory. Renato Moicano was booked twice against Brian Ortega, and both fights fell apart. He told MMA Junkie that two wasted camps were enough, so he turned down a third date in Doha and took Tom Nolan instead. Moicano is 37 and coming off an April submission win over Chris Duncan. He said Nolan is taller and a far better striker than Ortega, which forced him to rework his game plan.

Nolan, 26, is 11-1 with a five-fight winning streak and is headlining for the first time, over five rounds for the first time too. Moicano is a slight betting underdog, per odds MMA Junkie published.

Elsewhere, Lucia Szabova makes her UFC debut against Tainara Lisboa, and Julian Erosa, 37, has picked this card to end his career. Watch for further changes before fight night, and for any update on Bekoev's recovery.