Gian Villante needs a new opponent for UFC Fight Night 102, as Patrick Cummins was forced out of the light heavyweight bout after suffering a staph infection in his shin, MMA Fighting has learned.
Villante vs. Cummins was part of the UFC’s second trip to New York since the sport got legalized in the state. UFC Fight Night 102 takes place Dec. 9 at Albany’s Times Union Center.
“Yeah, I'm officially out of the fight,” Cummins told MMA Fighting. “I got a really bad staph infection. I've been on IV antibiotics all week and got it drained a couple days ago. Bad timing!
"I'm hoping I'll be able to train in a couple weeks and get the fight rebooked a month or so after that."
As fun as this staph infection was this week, I have to pull out of #UFCAlbany next week
— Patrick Cummins (@OfficialDurkin) December 2, 2016
It sucks to not work...#ItCanAlwaysBeWorse pic.twitter.com/4KUhgAYc5J
Cummins (8-4) hasn’t competed since suffering a first-round knockout loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in May, dropping to 4-4 under the UFC banner. Villante (14-7) was also looking to get back on track after a loss to Ilir Latifi. The former Strikeforce fighter also holds a 4-4 UFC record.
Headlined by Derrick Lewis vs. Shamil Abdurahimov, UFC Fight Night 102 took several hits over the past few weeks, with the cancellation of Aljamain Sterling vs. Raphael Assuncao and Tatiana Suarez vs. Juliana Lima due to injuries. Zubaira Tukhugov, scheduled to face Tiago Trator, was also removed from the card after failing an out-of-competition drug test.