A highly anticipated middleweight fight is off the UFC on ESPN 15 card. Yoel Romero has withdrawn from the event, where he was expected to face Uriah Hall. The event takes place August 22.
BJPenn.com was first to report the news. Romero reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury.
The fight was Romero’s return to action after a disappointing showing in a title fight against Israel Adesanya in March at UFC 248. That saw him fight a cautious, tentative fight, losing a unanimous decision. It was Romero’s third straight loss.
That leaves Uriah Hall without an opponent. Hall (15-9) has won two straight, against Bevon Lewis and Antonio Carlos Junior. After hitting something of a slump in 2015-2016, Hall has rebounded nicely, going 4-1 across his last five fights.
While the UFC has not officially announced an opponent for Hall, it was revealed on Tuesday’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series that winner Impa Kasanganay will fight on the card. The undefeated middleweight wouldn’t have the same name value of Romero, of course, but the pandemic has certainly created opportunities for those willing to step up.
The UFC on ESPN 15 card currently consists of the following:
Pedro Munhoz vs. Frankie Edgar
Uriah Hall vs. TBD
Mariya Agapova vs. Shana Dobson
Mizuki Inoue vs. Amanda Lemos
Angela Hill vs. Michelle Waterson
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Shamil Gamzatov
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Takashi Sato
Mike Rodríguez vs. Marcin Prachnio
Dwight Grant vs. Jared Gooden
Austin Hubbard vs. Joe Solecki
Matthew Semelsberger vs. Phillip Rowe
