The bad luck continues for the UFC as its summer schedule continues to be pelted by fighter withdrawals.
Most recently, the UFC on ESPN 59 event on July 13 at Ball Arena in Denver has absorbed the brunt of the blow. One day after news surfaced its main event between Maycee Barber and Rose Namajunas was canceled (with Tracy Cortez now stepping in), two undercard fights have also been pulled.
The welterweight bout between Mike Malott and Gilbert Urbina has been canceled altogether (first reported by TSN). Additionally, Marquel Mederos is out, and the promotion seeks a replacement to fight Nazim Sadykhov (first reported by Octagon Update).
Two people with knowledge of the changes recently confirmed them to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Malott (10-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) later posted a video to social media in which he said Urbina (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) withdrew from the fight. Malott said he had previously sustained an injury, so he elected to pass on a replacement opponent.
🚨#UFCDenver Update
See you all soon, appreciate all the love and support. #MMA #Proper #TheMilitia #UFC pic.twitter.com/CkeC09AzOL
— Mike Malott (@Michael_Malott) June 26, 2024
It’s still unclear why Mederos (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) withdrew from the fight vs. Sadykhov (9-1-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC).
With the changes, the UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver includes:
- Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Mariya Agapova vs. Luana Santos
- Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. TBA
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
