Sean Strickland will not compete in October.
Following DWCS Season 6, Week 6 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White revealed to members of the media that due to a finger infection suffered by Strickland, he will no longer compete in his scheduled main event bout with Jared Cannonier on Oct. 15. MMA Fighting subsequently confirmed the announcement with multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans.
White also announced that there would be no replacement for Cannonier and that the fight was scrapped from the card. A person with knowledge of the situation tells MMA Fighting that there hasn’t been any movement as of yet in regards to rescheduling the bout at this time.
Throughout the week, Strickland has been posting photos and videos of the infection, which led to speculation that the fight was in jeopardy. Strickland will now require surgery to repair the damage. The 31-year-old was looking to bounce back from a first-round knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 276 in July.
Cannonier is also hoping to get back in the win column after falling short via unanimous decision to Israel Adesanya in his first championship opportunity at UFC 276.