Unfortunately, UFC Fight Night 251 has experienced a setback as one of its scheduled fights has been canceled.
Jacob Malkoun was supposed to participate in the event on Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, facing Rodolfo Vieira. However, Malkoun (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) took to Instagram Stories to share that he had to withdraw from the middleweight bout due to an undisclosed injury.
Expressing his disappointment, Malkoun stated, “I’m no longer fighting in Feb. I’m so frustrated that the injuries won’t let me show the world that I’m one of the best middleweights in the world. Maybe the years of grinding have caught up, maybe it’s not meant to be. Either way I’m still the mentally toughest guy out there so I won’t just quit, I will do everything in my power to get back and show the world the hard work and the god given talent I have. Maybe my path to greatness is supposed to be harder than most people, maybe it will make my will even stronger, only time will tell. I have faith GOD that he’s doing this for a reason and my faith will never waiver. I am blessed and trust the man above.”
In 2024, Malkoun secured a second-round victory over Andre Petroski at UFC on ESPN 54.
As of now, it is uncertain if Vieira will still compete on the card or if a replacement opponent will be found.
The UFC Fight Night 251 lineup currently consists of the following matchups:
- Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia
- Carli Judice vs. Juliana Miller
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. opponent TBA
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
- Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews
- Billy Ray Goff vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
- Dylan Budka vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
- Jesus Aguilar vs. Rafael Estevam
- Don’Tale Mayes vs. Valter Walker
- Kaue Fernandes vs. Jared Gordon
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