Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has been forced to pull out of his scheduled fight against Mario Bautista at UFC 292, which is set to take place on August 19 in Boston. Garbrandt suffered an undisclosed injury during training and will not be able to compete in the pay-per-view event.
Also Read: Conor McGregor calls out KSI for bare-knuckle boxing match
Cody's injury was revealed during the ESPN coverage of UFC Fight Night on Saturday. The broadcast stated that Garbrandt suffered an injury while preparing for the bout, which was slated to take place on August 19, while the promotion is seeking a prospective replacement for Bautista.
Garbrandt confirmed the injury on his social media after a fan expressed his sadness after hearing about the fighter’s injury. He replied to the fan on Twitter and wrote, “Yes, I’m bummed I tore my disk again. I’ll be back in there sooner than later.”
Garbrandt was looking to build on his recent win over Trevin Jones, which snapped a two-fight losing streak for the former titleholder. Garbrandt had dropped down to flyweight to challenge Kai Kara-France, but lost by first-round knockout. He then returned to bantamweight and scored a second-round TKO over Jones in May.
Bautista, meanwhile, was hoping to face a high-profile opponent in Garbrandt and extend his four-fight winning streak. Bautista has been impressive in his UFC run, finishing his last three opponents by submission. He last fought in March, when he choked out Guido Cannetti in the first round.
Also Read: Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland to headline UFC 293
The UFC has not announced a replacement for Garbrandt yet, but Bautista seems to be willing to face anyone who steps up on short notice. The announcement from the UFC is expected to be declared soon, considering that the event is set for August 19.
