C.B. Dollaway had what could have been a fresh start to his career stolen from him Friday.
The UFC fighter was making the move up from middleweight to light heavyweight to face Francimar Barroso at UFC 203 on Saturday night in Cleveland. But now that won't happen. Dollaway injured his back when an elevator he was in at the Wyndham Cleveland hotel broke and fell Friday.
On Saturday morning, Dollaway's manager Dave Martin released the following statement to MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani:
It is extremely disappointing as CB was looking forward to making his light heavyweight debut after coming off of a strong camp with [boxer] Jose Benavidez. He will remain in Ohio until we figure out the extent of his injury. I have been in contact with the city of Cleveland elevator inspector and I am waiting for an incident report.
A manager at the Wyndham Cleveland hotel refused to comment on the situation when asked by MMA Fighting. The UFC sent out a statement earlier Saturday, saying that officials "have been in communication" with hotel management and the establishment is "evaluating and investigating" the incident.
Dollaway (15-8) lost three straight at 185 pounds before deciding to make the move up to 205. Before the skid, he won two straight and four of five to position himself as a legitimate middleweight contender. Dollaway, 33, is an alum of The Ultimate Fighter 7 and owns a 9-8 record in the UFC dating back to 2008.
A group of fighters and their teams, including Urijah Faber and Fabricio Werdum, also got stuck in a fault elevator Friday at the Wyndham Cleveland. Zuffa staff members had a similar experience in a separate incident, sources told MMA Fighting.
UFC 203 is headlined by a heavyweight title fight between champion Stipe Miocic and challenger Alistair Overeem. In the co-main event, former champ Fabricio Werdum takes on Travis Browne. Also on the main card, former WWE star CM Punk makes his MMA debut against Mickey Gall.