A welterweight scrap between Nick Catone and James Head was scrapped from UFC 159 this evening after Catone was hospitalized for dehydration, UFC.com reported this morning:
Following a trip to the hospital for dehydration, Nick Catone has been scratched from his UFC 159 bout with James Head, scheduled for tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The event will proceed as scheduled with 11 bouts.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt was the only competitor to miss weight at the UFC 159 weigh-ins on Friday, weighing 173 pounds and therefore would have forfeited 20 percent of his fight purse to Head if the bout went on as expected.
Catone, a New Jersey native, turned heads a little over two years ago when he defeated current middleweight contender Costa Philippou at UFC 128 in March 2011.
The bout was contested at a 195-pound catchweight and also took place at the Prudential Center in Newark.
“The Jersey Devil” has only competed twice since then, getting finished by both Chris Camozzi and TJ Waldburger.
His bout at The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 Finale in December was his first bout in 13 professional fights contested at 170 pounds.
A loss to Head tonight would have all but guaranteed Catone a pink slip from the higher-ups of the UFC.
Through a message on TwitLonger, Head said he wishes Catone a quick recovery and is ready to fight anytime in the near future.
Hey guys, I’m sorry to inform you that the @ufc let me know I’m not fighting tonight because @NickCatone is hospitalized. He is a tough guy and I wish him a speedy recovery. I trained really hard for this fight and am disappointed that I won’t get to compete but I will be ready to fight soon when the #ufc calls.
Head also competed at the TUF 16 Finale, suffering a TKO loss to resurgent welterweight competitor Mike Pyle. Head entered UFC 159 with a 2-2 record in his past four fights.
As of early Saturday afternoon, no official announcement had been made on whether or not Head would receive his show or win bonus from the UFC given the unfortunate turn of events.
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
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