Currently, the UFC is the biggest promotion in the MMA world and fans get to see interesting battles regularly. However, not everything goes smoothly. While the fans have seen the most epic fights in MMA history, the UFC also had a lot of fights slip out of their hands. Most of these were due to injuries sustained during Athlete’s training. This is not the only case, as several fights have been cancelled on the day of the event and removed from the card just minutes before the fight takes place.
Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland
UFC Vegas 5 was the smallest card in UFC history due to multiple fight cancellations. One of the matches was cancelled just moments before the bout was scheduled to take place. Trevin Giles was set to face Kevin Holland on the card, and when Giles was about to enter, he fainted due to cardiac irregularities. The fight was called off after the fainting incident.
Stefan Struve vs. Matt Mitrione
In 2013, Stefan Struve was forced into temporary retirement due to an enlarged heart. Months later, “Skyscraper” was actually cleared to return and matched to face Matt Mitroine at UFC 175 in July 2014. During the first match of the main card, Struve suffered a cardiac episode and passed out backstage. Fortunately, he recovered and his heart rate was elevated, but his bout was cancelled due to the fainting.
Renan Barao vs. T.J. Dillashaw 2
Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw were scheduled to fight at UFC 177, but Barao was replaced by Joe Soto on one day’s notice. The Brazilian had to be out of the match after he fainted during weight cutting. As Barao became unconscious, he fell backward and hit his head on the bathtub, causing a concussion. Due to the injury, he had to pull out just a day before the match.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Whittaker and Kelvin were set to face off for the main event of UFC 234. However, hours before the fight, “The Reaper” was hospitalized due to stomach pain and pulled out of the fight. The Australian suffered a hernia and collapsed intestine, he was forced to undergo immediate surgery. If he had taken part in the fight, it’s possible that it would have been fatal for him.
Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
One of the biggest fights at UFC 223 was about to take place, which was between Max Hollway and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hollway took the fight on six days notice in an attempt to become a two-weight UFC champion after Tony Ferguson was forced to pull out of his match against the Russian athlete. While “Blessed” came in on such short notice, many assumed he would be fine making the weight cut as he is a featherweight. But he was forced out of the card on the day of weigh-in due to a bad weight cut that left Holloway so exhausted that he could not make it to the scale.
Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice
In October 2008, a pullout occurred that caused the entire fight promotion to collapse. Former UFC champion Ken Shamrock was scheduled to face Kimbo Slice in the main event of EliteXC: Heat in a big matchup for the rising promotion. During warmups before the fight, Shamrock accidentally collided head-on with a coach. The strike caused heavy cuts and forced him out of the bout. Seth Petruzzelli was moved from the prelims to the main event and Slice was knocked out by him in a few seconds.
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
The two most incredible fighters, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, were set to face each other in the main event of UFC 209. The two were scheduled to fight for the UFC interim lightweight title and everything was going according to plan until weigh-in day. While Ferguson made the weight cut, Khabib’s weight cut went wrong. He suffered medical complications as a result of a bad cut and was forced to remain in the hospital, leading to the bout being cancelled.
Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2
The main event of UFC 213 was supposed to be a rematch between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchencko. The fighters made weight and everything was looking fine until a few hours before the event began. The UFC Bantamweight champion came down with an illness and was admitted to the hospital. However, the two finally fought a few months later. With Nunes winning via split decision.
Harold Howard vs. Royce Gracie
UFC 3’s one-night tournament was set to lead to a rematch between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Instead, fans got to see Harold Howard vs. Steve Jannum, as both Shamrock and Gracie were forced to pull out at different points of the contest. However, it was Gracie’s cancellation that gave Howard an automatic bye into the finals. After a battle with Kimo Leopoldo earlier in the night, Royce withdrew from his semi-final bout due to fatigue and injury.
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