Lucas Almeida out of UFC 309 fight with David Onama

David Onama needs a new opponent for next week’s UFC 309 after Lucas Almeida was forced off the card due to undisclosed reasons, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting.

UFC 309 will take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16, and the promotion is currently seeking a replacement to fight the Ugandan featherweight on just over a week’s notice.

Onama (12-2) hopes to keep the momentum going after back-to-back wins over Gabriel Santos — a bonus-winning second-round knockout in Jacksonville, Fla. — and Jonathan Pearce, a bout he missed weight for.

Almeida (15-3) was looking to compete for the first time since signing a new UFC contract following a decision victory over Timmy Cuamba this past June, rebounding from stoppage defeats to Pat Sabatini and Andre Fili.

UFC 309 will air live on pay-per-view and feature Jon Jones’ first defense of the heavyweight belt against former champion Stipe Miocic in the main event.

Mike Heck contributed to this story.