I was expecting someone to bail on UFC 298 before tomorrow night in Anaheim, but my money was on Paulo Costa slipping in the bathtub or something equally goofy. Instead, heavyweight hurter Justin Tafa has been felled by a mysterious injury and forced to withdraw from his late “Prelims” bout against Marcos Rogerio de Lima, according to an announcement the promotion made during the UFC 298 weigh ins stream.
See the reworked UFC 298 fight card and PPV lineup here.
No word yet on whether or not the promotion plans to rebook these titans for an upcoming fight card, or simply send the Brazilian on his separate way while the 30 year-old “Bad Man” heals up from whatever it is that sent him packing. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that neither fighter cuts weight, so there won’t be any concerns about turnaround times if matchmakers do, in fact, ship Tafa and De Lima to a nearby card (see what’s in store here).
UFC 298 will proceed with 12 fights, which includes “Prelims” on ESPN and ESPN+.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 298: “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 298 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.