Charles Oliveira will no longer compete at UFC 166.
Ericson Cardozo, the head coach of the Brazilian featherweight, revealed to MMAFighting.com that Oliveira has suffered a muscle strain and won’t be able to face Jeremy Larsen on Oct. 19. MMA Premium first reported the news.
“He strained his muscle in the thigh and won’t be able to walk for three or four weeks,” Cardozo told MMAFighting.com on Friday. “It’s likely that he won’t be able to fight again this year, unfortunately.”
Oliveira was originally set to meet Estevan Payan on the card, but Payan was pulled out of UFC 166 with a broken foot and replaced by Larsen. At 0-2 in the UFC, Larsen waits for a new opponent.
“I’m really sad because I knew how important this fight was and I know how ready I was for this,” Oliveira told MMA Premium. “The doctors told me that I can’t even move or this injury can get worse.”
UFC 166 is headlined by the heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.