The UFC 293 main card has taken a big hit.
Flyweight contender Kai Kara-France announced he will no longer be fighting former RIZIN star Manel Kape at the event taking place Sept. 9 in Sydney, Australia, due to a concussion.
He provided an update for the fans on social media.
“I just wanted to come on here and give you guys an update,” Kara-France said (via MMA Junkie). “Unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight in Sydney, Australia: UFC 293. I suffered a concussion over the weekend in training. I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family. They all think it’s the right decision to put my health first.
“I just want to say sorry to all the friends and family that bought tickets, flights, accommodation, (and to) all of the fans that were excited to fight live. I’m gutted I won’t be a part of this card. It’s been a tough week with my second son being born as well as me pulling out of this fight. Mixed emotions. Frustrated. But I’ve just got to focus on the positives and just spend time with my loved ones. I appreciate the ongoing support and we’ll be back soon. Much love.”
Kara-France will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid whenever he does return to action. He suffered a TKO defeat to Brandon Moreno in their interim title fight last year. Most recently, he lost a controversial split decision to Amir Albazi.
Meanwhile, it's unclear if Kape — currently riding a UFC-best three-fight winning streak — will remain on the card and fight a short-notice opponent.
What is known for sure is that their fight being off is a significant blow for the event as the card already seems a bit thin in terms of big names for a major pay-per-view card. Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was to originally headline against Dricus du Plessis.
However, with Du Plessis couldn't make the quick turnaround having only just competed at UFC 290 last month. And so, Strickland got the opportunity of a first-ever title shot as his replacement.
Here's how the UFC 293 card looks as things stand:
- Israel Adesanya (C) vs. Sean Strickland – middleweight title fight
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
- Manel Kape vs. TBA
- Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
- Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj
- Dan Un Jung vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal
- Blood Diamond vs. Charlie Radkte
- Gabriel Miranda vs. Shane Young
- John Makdessi vs. Jamie Mullarkey
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