PFL Veteran Carlos Leal Steps in to Face Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308

Leal is a replacement for Nursulton Ruziboev, who withdrew from the card for undisclosed reasons. Eurosport was first to report the new welterweight booking. UFC 308 takes place on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a featherweight championship tilt between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.

After picking up two victories on the PFL Challenger Series, Leal went 3-2 in the PFL, earning finishes against Dilano Taylor and David Zawada during his stint. The 30-year-old Brazilian has compiled a 21-5 career mark over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2012. He is coming off back-to-back first-round finishes in LFA and UAE Warriors in 2024.

Russai’s Fakhretdinov is 4-01 in five Octagon appearances thus far. Most recently, the 33-year-old American Top Team representative took a split verdict over Nicolas Dalby at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22.

Reference: https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/PFL-Veteran-Carlos-Leal-Steps-in-to-Face-Rinat-Fakhretdinov-at-UFC-308-195270