UFC 293 suffered a major setback as an important main card matchup fell through because of an injury.
Flyweight Kai Kara-France took to Instagram on Monday to announce that he had suffered a concussion over the weekend in training and would not be able to compete against Manel Kape in Sydney, Australia.
"So unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight in Sydney, Australia, UFC 293. I suffered a concussion over the weekend in training. I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family, and they all think it’s the right decision to put my health first."
He went on to apologize to the fans who bought tickets, flights, and accommodations to see him fight live.
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"I'm gutted that I won’t be a part of this card."
Watch Kara-France's statement below:
UFC 293 was a prime opportunity for 'Don't Blink' to bounce back from his consecutive losses in the previous two outings. After failing to secure the interim flyweight title against Brandon Moreno at UFC 277, Kara-France lost the next bout to Amir Albazi via a close split decision.
There is no word yet if Manel Kape will remain on the card and a new opponent will be scheduled for him or if the matchup will be scrapped and rescheduled for a future date.
The PPV card will be headlined by reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, defending his reclaimed title against Sean Strickland. The challenger was initially supposed to be Dricus Du Plessis. Heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov will lock horns in the co-main event.