Gaston Bolanos Out, Dakota Hope Meets Francis Marshall in Las Vegas

The UFC's Halloween event has a lineup change. Featherweight Gaston Bolanos has withdrawn from his scheduled bout with Francis Marshall at UFC Vegas 123, set for Oct. 31, 2026, at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Marshall stays on the card, and promotional sophomore Dakota Hope has agreed to take the fight on short notice.

A cut and a camp injury

Bolanos shared the news himself on social media, posting a graphic photo of a deep laceration above his eyebrow. He explained that the cut was not the only problem: an additional injury suffered during his training camp also contributed to the decision to pull out. In his message, he apologized to his opponent and his supporters and stressed that the situation was outside his control.

At this moment, I will allow my body to heal, and I will take the necessary steps to come back 100 percent in that Octagon.

Bolanos, who previously fought in Bellator, had been looking for a second straight win after a unanimous decision over Michael Aswell Jr. in June. He holds a 9-5 professional record and has won three of his five UFC appearances. He did not give a timeline for his return.

Hope gets a second UFC chance

Hope, 29, owns an 11-2 professional record. He made his UFC debut in April and lost a split decision to Kai Kamaka III, and he is still looking for his first UFC win. He trains at 4oz Fight Club under former UFC fighter Daniel Pineda, alongside reigning UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van.

After a 1-3 stretch in the promotion, Marshall, 27, has won two straight fights, against Erik Silva and Lucas Brennan, and improved his professional record to 10-3. The bout remains at featherweight and joins a card headlined by Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan.

Source: Gaston Bolanos on Instagram