UFC 284 has lost another high-profile fight.
Kai Kara-France announced on Thursday that he was forced to withdraw from his fight against Alex Perez after suffering an injury. The one-time interim flyweight title challenger did not disclose the injury.
“Unfortunately, due to injury, I’ve had to pull out of my upcoming fight in Perth,” wrote Kara-France on Instagram. “I’m gutted I won’t be able to fight in front of everyone in [Australia]. To everyone who supports me, I’m sorry. This has been frustrating, but I know I’m making the right decision.
“Hopefully me and [Alex Perez] can run it back next year,” continued Kara-France. “Enjoy the holidays, stay safe and will see you back in the Octagon 2023. Much love everyone!”
There is no word on whether Perez expects to receive a new opponent or get rescheduled with Kara-France for a different date. The No. 6 flyweight has had eight fights canceled in the past two years.
Kara-France and Perez were hoping to rebound from their respective losses to Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277 this past July. ‘Don’t Blink’ suffered a third-round TKO loss to the ‘Assassin Baby,’ while Perez was submitted by the ‘Cannibal’.
In addition to Kara-France vs. Perez being canceled, a middleweight fight between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa was removed from the upcoming pay-per-view. Citing a failure in negotiations with the UFC, ‘Borrachinha’ did not sign a new contract, which led to the cancelation. The ‘Reaper’ expects to return in either March or April.
UFC 284 goes down on Sat., Feb. 11, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Islam Makhachev defends the UFC lightweight championship against Alexander Volkanovski in the headliner, and Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett vie for the UFC interim featherweight championship in the co-headliner.
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