UFC bantamweight Vince Morales was not medically cleared to compete and as a result, forced to withdraw from his upcoming Nathaniel Wood fight scheduled for the ESPN+ “Prelims” card on Sat. night (March 19, 2022) at O2 Arena in London, England.
“Unfortunately, this is where my fight week ends,” Morales wrote on Instagram. “Right when I got off the plane, I broke a fever that won’t seem to come down and have been sick ever since. Breaks my heart, but with the circumstances, I can’t get cleared to start my cut, let alone compete. Sorry to everyone, especially to Nathaniel Wood and UFC. Thanks for the support. Hoping to get this cleared and be booked again shortly.”
No word yet on whether or not his illness was COVID related.
Wood will likely remain in the lineup as a potential alternate for the bantamweight battle between Jack Shore and Timur Valiev, unless by some miracle the promotion can scare up a replacement fighter and get him through medicals (and on weight) in two days.
For the revised UFC London fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.