Danny Silva out of UFC Vegas 96, Francis Marshall steps in against Dennis Buzukja

Francis Marshall | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Danny Silva is out of this Saturday’s fight with Dennis Buzukja.

On Tuesday, the UFC announced that Silva sustained an injury which has forced him out of UFC Vegas 96. In his place, Francis Marshall steps in on short notice to fight Buzukja, with the bout now taking place at lightweight instead of featherweight.

Marshall entered the UFC off of the Contender Series in 2022, winning his first bout by TKO over Marcelo Rojo. Since then Marshall’s had a tough go of things though, losing back-to-back fights to William Gomis and Isaac Dulgarian.

A two-time Contender Series participant, Buzukja made his UFC debut last year, losing a unanimous decision to Sean Woodson in a fight he also missed weight for. Buzukja then returned against Jamall Emmers and again was defeated, this time by TKO; however, “The Great” finally managed to score his first UFC victory this past March, stopping Connor Matthews at UFC Atlantic City.

UFC Vegas 96 takes place this Saturday in the UFC APEX and is headlined by a middleweight matchup between Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho.