Jamahal Hill withdraws from UFC Shenzhen due to visa issues

A light heavyweight bout at UFC Shenzhen appears to be in jeopardy once again.

Already pegged as a short-notice replacement to face Da Un Jung (11-2) at UFC Shenzhen after Jung’s original opponent Saparbeg Safarov was forced out of the booking with an injury, Jamahal Hill has also withdrawn from the card due to visa issues.

Hill’s withdrawal was first reported by MMAjunkie and he confirmed the news on his Facebook page.

“Just wanted to make an announcement that I unfortunately will not be making my UFC debut at the end of this month at the UFC event in Shenzhen, China,” Hill wrote. “My team and I accepted this fight on shorter notice while the ink was still drying on my new UFC contract and we encountered some visa issues that there just wasn’t enough time to to get resolved before my team and I would have to be en route to the event.

“Not to worry though, I will be getting into the cage for my UFC debut soon enough regardless! Stay tuned!”

Hill (6-0) earned a UFC contract earlier this year on Dana White’s Contender Series after winning his first five pro bouts on the Michigan regional scene.

UFC Shenzhen takes place on Aug. 31 at Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen, China, and it will be headlined by a strawweight title bout between champion Jessica Andrade and challenger Weili Zhang. The main card will air on the ESPN+ streaming service.