Why was Dana White replaced at UFC 291 press conference? Reason disclosed

UFC president Dana White's absence from the UFC 291 pre-fight press conference was a rare occurrence, considering the significance of the event.

However, it was revealed by MMA journalist Mike Bohn that White is currently on vacation in Italy, which prevented him from attending the press conference. In his place, long-time broadcast team member Jon Anik took over the hosting duties.

He took to Twitter to confirm the news and wrote:

"With Dana White vacationing in Italy, I’m told @Jon_Anik will host today’s #UFC291 pre-fight press conference."

UFC 291 is set to go down this weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A 'BMF' title fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will headline the exciting pay-per-view event. The co-main event will feature former middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira's light heavyweight debut against former divisional champion Jan Blachowicz.

Elsewhere on the card, UFC veterans Tony Ferguson and Bobby Green go head-to-head in a lightweight contest. Welterweight mainstay Kevin Holland will face Michael Chiesa, with Stephen Thompson fighting Michel Pereira.

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UFC president Dana White confirms the main event for the Fight Night event on September 23

was recently reported that the UFC frontman Dana White is close to finalizing an exciting lightweight barnburner between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot for a Fight Night event in September. The two explosive fighters will headline the main card on September 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Fiziev will be looking to redeem his unanimous decision loss against Justin Gaethje at UFC 286. Before his defeat, the 30-year-old was on a six-fight winning streak. Meanwhile, Mateusz Gamrot is coming off a split decision victory over Jalin Turner at UFC 285.

Furthermore, the card will also feature a featherweight contest between Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige. The No.12-ranked featherweight has been keen on making this fight for a long time, and it seems Dana White has finally granted him his desired matchup. This will mark Mitchell's first 2023 octagon outing.

The news was confirmed by MMA journalist Brett Okamoto of ESPN, who took to Twitter:

"UFC Fight Night, Sept. 23 … per Dana White. No. 6 Rafael Fiziev vs. No. 6 Mateusz Gamrot. No. 12 Bryce Mitchell vs. No. 13 Dan Ige."