Chas Skelly’s long-awaited return to the Octagon will be even longer after Jamall Emmers injured himself backstage at UFC VEGAS 19 .
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there are new ways for UFC fights to get cancelled at the literal last minute.
Featherweight veteran Chas Skelly was scheduled to take on Jamall Emmers on the third bout of the UFC VEGAS 19 preliminary card. Skelly was in the cage after his walkout and was ready for Emmers to make his entrance so he could finally get his first UFC fight since September 2019.
Then the unbelievable happened.
This is a first.
Due to medical issues, the scheduled bout between Skelly and Emmers has been cancelled. #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/xbPLm6jWEn
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 20, 2021
“Ladies and gentlemen due to medical reasons backstage, Emmers cannot fight. This bout has been cancelled,” Joe Martinez announced.
Yes, the UFC broadcast team revealed prior to Martinez’s announcement that Emmers had been suffering from back spasms, and as a result the fight was off. A stunned Skelly jokingly asked commentator Michael Bisping if he could get his win bonus, and then afterward made a more serious case saying “I made weight [and] I stepped in the cage.”
We don’t know whether Skelly will get his win bonus but seeing as he made weight and literally showed up inside the Octagon his base purse should be secure.
There’s really not much more to say other than feeling sorry for Skelly and also that Emmers recovers from his back spasms.