UFC 289: Lackluster fight card dealt another blow with last-minute cancellation

UFC 289 takes place this Saturday in Vancouver, Canada, with a headline bout of Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana for the bantamweight title.

However, despite the presence of this title fight, as well as a key lightweight clash between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, some fans have derided the upcoming show as a weak card.

Unfortunately, UFC 289 has also taken another hit, as a light heavyweight bout between Chris Daukaus and Khalil Rountree Jr has been unexpectedly cancelled.

The news was initially broken by Nolan King on Twitter late last week, who stated the following:

“The UFC’s long-awaited return to Canada has taken another hit. I’m told Chris Daukaus is out of #UFC289 due to injury. Unclear if Khalil Rountree will remain on the card or not.”

It has now been confirmed, though, that Daukaus is not in fact injured, and his bout with ‘The War Horse’ is set to be rescheduled for a later date.

The fight would have been Daukaus’ first at 205 pounds following seven bouts inside the octagon as a heavyweight. The Philadelphia native has not won a bout since he defeated Shamil Abdurakhimov in September 2021, and has lost his last three fights in a row.

Rountree Jr, meanwhile, is currently riding a three-fight win streak and most recently outpointed Dustin Jacoby. ‘The War Horse’ is ranked at No.13 in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings.

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UFC 289: Have any other fights been cancelled?

The cancellation of the fight between Chris Daukaus and Khalil Rountree Jr is not the first change for UFC 289.

The event’s initially scheduled main event between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena was cancelled when Pena suffered an undisclosed injury. Thankfully, the promotion has been able to keep Nunes on the card by matching her with Irene Aldana.

Another main card bout between welterweight contenders Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira was scrapped in May, with no official reason given for the cancellation.

Following this, it was also confirmed that a featherweight clash between Canada’s Hakeem Dawodu and Lucas Almeida of Brazil was also removed from the event. Again, no official reason for this was given, and Almeida has now been matched with Pat Sabatini at the Fight Night event on June 17.