Following five consecutive wins, Hakeem Dawodu was rewarded with a matchup against Shane Burgos in a fight that almost assuredly would have delivered post-fight bonuses to one or both of them.
Sadly, Dawodu was forced to drop out of the fight after he suffered a shoulder injury that required him to take several months off as he went through rehabilitation. In his absence, the UFC moved on from the fight and booked Burgos against Edson Barboza, while Dawodu was offered a bout against undefeated featherweight prospect Movsar Evloev at UFC 263.