An eye injury has forced Michael Bisping out of his return home to England.
Bisping (24-5) was scheduled to meet Mark Munoz (13-3) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester. But complications from a detached retina suffered earlier in the year will force him out of the Oct. 26 bout.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will take Bisping’s place. ESPN.com broke the news on Friday afternoon.
“We’re going to get [Bisping] the best treatment possible,” White told ESPN. “Hopefully he’ll be able to get through this thing.”
Machida (19-4) had been slated to make his middleweight debut against Tim Kennedy in the main event of a Fight for the Troops card on Nov. 6. A replacement opponent for Kennedy has not yet been named.
Update: Bisping’s manager informed MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani that corrective surgery won’t be necessary, but the Brit expects to be sidelined for upwards of five to six months.