UFC 309 on Saturday went off almost completely without a hitch; we say almost since one of the more highly anticipated preliminary fights was canceled just a few hours before fighters were meant to make the walk.
Just a few minutes into the broadcast, veteran commentator Jon Anik revealed that Eryk ‘Ya Boi’ Anders had withdrawn from his fight with former champion Chris Weidman – with the American power-puncher now revealing why he was forced out of the contest.
Eryk Anders reveals why he was forced to withdraw from UFC 309 fight vs Weidman
From start to finish, a total of five UFC 309 fights were either canceled or fizzled out – with Eryk Anders’ withdrawal from the event announced just a few hours before the pair were scheduled to make the walk at Madison Square Garden.
“One bit of not-so-great news, due to a medical issue involving Eryk Anders, his middleweight prelim with Chris Weidman is now off,” explained Jon Anik from the commentary desk, with Joe Rogan calling the situation “terrible” for the former champion.
“Urgh, that’s a bummer for Weidman because, you know, Weidman’s comeback has been so brutal and so hard, he’s gone through 30 surgeries to get where he is now and for him the day of the fight to have it called off, it’s terrible.”
Taking to Instagram late last night, Anders would reveal that he was forced out of UFC 309 after coming down with a nasty case of food poisoning – which started impacting his preparation on Friday evening after the official weigh-ins.
“Throwing up all Friday night and in the morning on Saturday… Feeling much better today, up and active – still feeling a little weak.
“Status update- got food poisoning Friday night and there was no way I would have been able to go out there and compete,” Anders continued in the caption of his post.
“Super upset I didn’t get to compete at MSG against a former champ. I seriously doubt that opportunity will come around again, but it is what it is… Hopefully, we can get that matchup rebooked asap. Thank you all for the messages of concern.”
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Weidman himself would also come out to state that he was “super bummed out” that he’d lost the opportunity to compete at Madison Square Garden on such an enormous PPV card.
“I am super bummed out, I felt so good for this fight, I was so ready, my head is spinning right now that this is happening, I was about to walk to the arena, just said the prayers with my family.”
The former champion would state that he was “gutted” at losing out on his MSG showcase as he wished Anders a speedy recovery, before apologizing to those who’d made the trip out to NYC.
“Yeah, just felt so good and I was so excited to put on a show at Madison Square Garden, I am so gutted… Anders – I hope he gets better soon, and I want to apologize to all the friends and family, fans that spent a lot of money to come out here and watch me fight tonight… Really sucks.”
It’s unlikely that Anders vs Weidman will be rebooked for any of the three final events left of 2024; should the promotion want to keep the fight for a PPV, the next available event on US soil will be UFC 313 on March 8, 2025.