in

Rib injury knocks Rodolfo Vieira out of Fight Island bout with Markus Perez

Markus Perez is once again in need of an opponent after Rodolfo Vieira withdrew from a middleweight clash with him on in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., multiple people with knowledge of the shift told MMA Fighting following a report from Combate.

Vieira told MMA Fighting he was unable to continue training for the 185-pound fight due to a rib injury. Perez, meanwhile, said he specifically asked the UFC to match him up against rising sensation Khamzat Chimaev, who dispatched Gerald Meerschaert just days ago in Las Vegas, but the request was denied.

Now, Perez (12-3) expects the UFC to find a replacement so he can fight on Oct. 10. He hasn’t competed since a decision loss to Wellington Turman in Nov. 2019.

The American Top Team middleweight previously was booked to face Alessio Di Chirico in April, but the event got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was then paired up against Eric Spicely in August, but his opponent was ruled out after a bad weight cut. Charlie Ontiveros was signed by the UFC as a last-minute replacement, but the bout was also scrapped.

The Fight Night card is headlined by bantamweights Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen and air live on ESPN+.

This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts


Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.

What do you think?

‘UFC 253 Countdown’ video

Brandon Royval plans to use Kai Kara-France to make a statement at UFC 253