UFC News: UFC 230 loses fight at last second

UFC Fight Night: Weidman v Gastelum
UFC Fight Night: Weidman v Gastelum

What's the story?

UFC 230 may be minutes away, but Dana White will be disappointed and worried with how the pay-per-view is starting.

With the card starting in moments, Brian Kelleher has been forced to pull out due to an unspecified illness, as per MMA Junkie.

In case you didn't know...

Brian Kelleher was expected to face Montel Jackson in the Preliminary Rounds of UFC 230. The card has already undergone a lot of change previously, and this latest change, although apparently unavoidable, will not please Dana White.

Previously, the card was expected to feature a fight between Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz as well, but due to injuries to Poirier, the fight could not take place and the company had to scrap the fight due to the absence of an opponent to face Nate Diaz.

On the other hand, Chris Weidman was expected to face Luke Rockhold in a much-awaited rematch. That fight was scrapped as well, due to injuries to Luke Rockhold in the lead up to the pay-per-view. Thankfully Jacare Souza was there to step in at short notice, and so, Chris Weidman is facing Souza instead.

The heart of the matter

UFC 230 seems to be the card of change-ups, as this is the third major change that has taken place already.

In the Preliminary Rounds, Montel Jackson was supposed to take on Brian Kelleher. In the leadup to the fight, Kelleher had already attracted attention, by missing weight by 1 pound. The fight was going ahead anyway, but these latest developments have brought a stop to it.

According to reports, the illness has nothing to do with his weight cut and is apparently a result of food poisoning.

What's next?

The rest of the UFC 230 card will go ahead as planned, as it is impossible to find an opponent for Montel Jackson at such short notice.

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