About an hour after UFC 122 started on Saturday in Oberhausen, Germany, fans got some bad news: Alessio Sakara is out of his co-main event fight against Jorge Rivera because of an illness.MMAjunkie.com first reported and the UFC confirmed that the bout has been scrapped, and Duane Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak has been moved up from the non-televised undercard to the main card. Sakara has what the UFC is describing as "flu like symptoms."
For a fighter to pull out of a fight after the event has already started is extremely rare, although it's not unprecedented: At UFC 24, the main event was scrapped after the show had already started because Kevin Randleman, who was slated to defend his heavyweight title against Pedro Rizzo, stumbled on a pipe and fell, suffering a concussion.
Both Rivera and Sakara have had a rough few months. Sakara was supposed to fight at UFC 116 but pulled out because of the death of his father, then was slated to fight Rivera at UFC 118 before Rivera had to pull out because of a broken arm. There's no word yet on how serious Sakara's illness is, and how soon the UFC can get them in the Octagon.
More Coverage: UFC 122 Pictures | UFC 122 Results
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