Gastelum vs Kennedy announced for UFC 206 despite Kelvin’s suspension

Rashad Evans has been ruled out twice due to medical issues, preventing him to fight Tim Kennedy at both UFC 205 and UFC 206.…

By: Anton Tabuena | 7 years ago
Gastelum vs Kennedy announced for UFC 206 despite Kelvin’s suspension
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Rashad Evans has been ruled out twice due to medical issues, preventing him to fight Tim Kennedy at both UFC 205 and UFC 206. During the UFC Melbourne broadcast, it was announced that Kelvin Gastelum will be replacing Evans to face Kennedy at UFC 206.

They also noted that the bout is pending approval from the athletic commissions. Gastelum couldn’t make weight and didn’t even step on the scale during UFC 205, and it lead to the NYSAC suspending him for 6 months for the no-show.

Most commissions in Nevada, California and others don’t usually suspend fighters for missing weight, but the New York commission did for two fighters on the card.

Suspensions from commissions are usually upheld by other states, making this a bit of a hurdle that they have to overcome before it’s made official. This also makes it interesting that the UFC has already announced a bout without it being given a go-signal from the governing bodies.

After Cormier’s injury, the new headliner of the UFC 206 PPV card is an interim title bout between Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway.

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Anton Tabuena
Anton Tabuena

Anton Tabuena is the Managing Editor for Bloody Elbow. He’s been covering MMA and combat sports since 2009, and has also fought in MMA, Muay Thai and kickboxing.

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