The October 1 main event middleweight fight between Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier is off.
Following Tuesday’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series (that would be week six, for those counting), UFC President Dana White confirmed that a finger infection had taken Strickland out of the match-up.
Asked if the infection, which the fighter posted a video of on social media, would affect the fight, White confirmed that “Yeah it does,” adding “Yeah, he’s out.”
Sean Strickland’s finger is all infected 😵 pic.twitter.com/bC7Gndm4kz
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) August 26, 2022
Explaining the mishap, Strickland stated in the video that “I punched a dude in the face, and it was consensual. But I hit his tooth, and now my finger is god-awful infected. So now I’ve got to go get this thing scrubbed out, and get an antibiotic IV.”
While the middleweight added that he would be “back at it Monday,” in the gym or not, it appears he will not be fighting. At least not on October 1.
Strickland vs. Cannonier was considered to be the fight to make after UFC 276, which saw both men fall in key fights that night. Cannonier came up short in a five-round decision against Israel Adesanya, in a title fight that was heavily criticized for its lack of action. There was no lack of action in Sean Strickland’s fight against Alex Pereira, however; the Brazilian knocked Strickland out in just over half a round.
No word yet on whether Cannonier will stay on the October 1, 2022 card, or if the UFC will push the entire fight back.
