UFC 287 has lost a heavyweight match-up the day of the event.
As the preliminary card broadcast kicked off on Saturday night in Miami, Florida, promotion officials announced that Karl Williams vs. Chase Sherman had fallen off the card.
A undisclosed medical issue suffered by Sherman was cited as the reason for the bout’s cancellation. It’s unclear whether the promotion will look to keep the match-up intact for a future date.
Williams was actually stepping into the fight on short notice, replacing Chris Barnett, who was himself forced to withdraw from the event earlier this month.
UFC 287 now moves forward with 12 fights. The card is headlined by Alex Pereira, looking to defend his middleweight title against ex-champ Israel Adesanya. The pair have met three times in combat sports, twice in kickboxing, prior to Saturday night.
Pereira has won all three contests.
The following bouts remain on Saturday night’s card:
- Alex Pereira (c) vs. Israel Adesanya — for the UFC middleweight championship
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
- Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Chris Curtis vs. Kelvin Gastelum
- Michelle Waterson vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joe Pyfer
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden
- Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia
- Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes
Update, 6:30 PM ET: Sherman’s manager, Abe Kawa of First Round Management, gave a little background on the situation.
“Unfortunately Chase Sherman had a medical issue and won’t be able to compete tonight,” Kawa wrote in a statement on social media. “He tried is hardest to get in there but on the advice of the UFC medical staff they decided to hold him out and we respect that decision as his safety comes first.”
Unfortunately @ChaseShermanUFC had a medical issue and won’t be able to compete tonight. He tried is hardest to get in there but on the advice of the UFC medical staff they decided to hold him out and we respect that decision as his safety comes first #UFC287
— Abe kawa (@Abraham_kawa) April 8, 2023
