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The card for UFC Vegas 14 has taken another hit hours before the preliminary card kicked off. The middleweight bout between Eryk Anders and Antonio Arroyo was cancelled after the former withdrew from the fight citing 'health issues'.
Anders was found to be 1.5 pounds over the divisional weight limit at Friday's weigh-in event. This violation meant that he would be fined 20 percent of his purse.
In a tweet that insinuated that his recovery from the weight cut didn't go well, Anders explained the situation to his fans. Anders wrote:
Hey guys, unfortunately, due to issues concerning my health I was forced to withdraw from tonight’s fight against Arroyo. I am recovering and look forward to getting back to action ASAP. Thank you, everyone, for your love and support.
Anders was looking to bounce back from a defeat to Polish grappler Krzysztof Jotko at the 'UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris' event of May 2020. The Filipino Anders lost via a unanimous decision.
It means that tonight's UFC Vegas 14 event is down to ten fights.
Paul Felder sets an example for Anders and co. by successfully cutting weight on five days' notice
The earlier insinuation of a card plagued by schedule issues was referring to the main event of the evening. Rafael dos Anjos was always going to be fighting in the closing fight of the night. However, his original opponent was Islam Makhachev.
When Makhachev had to pull out of the fight with less than one week to go until the event, it looked like the event was in trouble. The Russian fighter's staph infection looked as though it would leave the card with a gaping hole.
Thankfully for the UFC, Paul Felder was training for his triathlon. The veteran fighter was considered to be semi-retired from MMA, making waves as a colour commentator at UFC events. However, when the opportunity to headline a card opened up, Felder couldn't resist taking it. RDA would fight 'The Irish Dragon'.
Felder was in good shape but he still had work to do in order to make weight for the fight. With just five days to go, he still had 14 pounds to drop. Anyone doubting Felder would have felt silly when he stepped on to the scales on Friday. He had successfully made the cut with minimum fuss. An exemplary pro.
