The long saga of UFC 230 added another chapter Tuesday night.
Lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has been forced out of his co-main event fight against Nate Diaz after suffering an undisclosed injury. MMA Fighting confirmed the news late Tuesday following an initial report by ESPN.
The status of Diaz and whether he will stay on the card is still up in the air.
UFC 230 takes place Nov. 3 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Poirier (24-5, 1 NC) and Diaz (19-11) were set to meet in a much-anticipated clash between two fan favorites. The pair drew repeated headlines for themselves over the past month by calling for their matchup to be elevated into UFC 230’s main event and to have it serve as the promotion’s inaugural 165-pound title fight.
News of Poirier’s withdrawal now comes just hours after UFC 230 finally received its official main event, a short-notice heavyweight title between UFC champion Daniel Cormier and challenger Derrick Lewis, the latter of whom scored a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Alexander Volkov this past weekend at UFC 229.
An impromptu women’s flyweight bout for the vacant title between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks was previously slated to headline the event, however that bout was ultimately scrapped following the announcement of Cormier vs. Lewis.
An updated UFC 230 fight card can be seen below.
