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What’s the story?
If fans of MMA around the world were still marvelling at last weekend's stunning UFC 217 event, the latest injury news coming out of UFC headquarters will surely bring them back down to earth with a thud.
It has been announced that featherweight contender Frankie Edgar has sustained a facial injury while the former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has broken his arm. Both have been ruled out of their upcoming fights with immediate effect.
In case you didn’t know…
Prior to their injuries, both fighters had been booked in big matches at UFC's final pay-per-view events of 2017. Cruz was scheduled to begin his journey back to the top of the bantamweight division in a bout with Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219. Meanwhile, Frankie Edgar was ready to battle it out with Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight belt at UFC 218.
The heart of the matter
Following the huge success of UFC 217 last weekend, many had very high hopes that the UFC would see out 2017 in style. However, the lack of an official main-event for either of the final pay-per-views of the year and the loss of Cruz will cause a major headache for UFC President Dana White.
What’s next?
Traditionally, the UFC aim to make their end of year event one of the biggest of the year, but they are running out of time to salvage UFC 219 which is scheduled to take place on December 30th in Las Vegas.
On a positive note, there is no shortage of fighters ready to step up and fight Holloway for the featherweight belt at UFC 218, both Jose Aldo and Cub Swanson have officially announced that they are ready for battle.
Author’s take
Both fans and officials will be devastated to lose two popular fighters in quick succession as we head to the end of a successful year for the UFC.
We can be confident that a suitable replacement will be found to face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 218. However, the UFC will now have to pull out all the stops to deliver a world class main event at UFC 219. Conor McGregor recently indicated he would be happy to headline the event if the money was right. Only time will tell if Dana White can meet the Irishman's demands.
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