More Trouble For The UFC, Nogueira Withdraws From UFC 108 Due To Illness

Another UFC event has suffered another hit as Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1(1)) has withdrawn from his Jan. 2 UFC 108 bout against heavyweight Cain Velasquez due to a severe staph infection.

UFC president Dana White revealed the news at the UFC 105 post-fight press conference.

“[Nogueira] got staph infection, bad, to the point now it’s in his bloodstream, and he’s probably going to have to be hospitalized and intravenously given the antibiotics,” White said.

The main event bout was to have determined the next heavyweight contender for the title. The current heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar, is out indefinitely after collapsing in Canada this weekend due to an unknown illness.

White said the recent string of bad luck for the company, which has included injuries to several of the UFC’s most prominent fighters, is the worst he’s seen in his time at the helm of the promotion.

“It’s crazy,” White said. “In nine years of being in this business, we haven’t had this many injuries in one (full) year.”

Despite the setback, White said his company would deliver a solid event come January.

“This is my business; this is what we do,” White said. “My job is to put on fights, and we’ll get some fights for Jan. 2.”

Quotes: MMAjunkie.com

Another UFC event has suffered another hit as Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1(1)) has withdrawn from his Jan. 2 UFC 108 bout against heavyweight Cain Velasquez due to a severe staph infection. UFC president Dana White revealed the news at the UFC 105 post-fight press conference. “[Nogueira] got staph infection, bad, to the point now it’s in [...]

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