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Deron Winn is out of his upcoming fight against Phil Hawes.
The middleweight announced Monday via Instagram that an injury has forced him out of UFC Vegas 31 on July 17, which was to take place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. According to Winn, his withdrawal is due to a “separated rib and torn cartilage.”
“I am extremely saddened to announce that I have to withdraw from my fight on July 17. I know how annoying it is to be on the other end of this. I suffered a separated rib and torn cartilage in training last week. My team and I took some time, got the medical attention that was needed and made the decision today that I wasn’t healthy enough to compete without risking further injury. I’m sorry to my opponent and his team because I know they spent many hours preparing for this.”
Hawes also addressed the news on Instagram, telling Winn that he wished him a speedy recovery. In a comment on the post, Winn apologized and wrote, “Hope to share the octagon with you still.”
With less than two weeks until Hawes is scheduled to compete, it is not yet known if the promotion will seek a replacement for Winn.
This was to be Hawes’ third appearance of 2021. He is currently on a seven-fight win streak, including a 3-0 mark in the UFC since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September of last year. In his most recent outing this past May, he defeated Kyle Daukaus by unanimous decision. His bout with Winn was announced shortly after his win over Daukaus, but that particular matchup will have to wait for now.
UFC Vegas 31 is set to be headlined by a lightweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises. See the updated card below (bout order still to be finalized):
Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises
Jeremy Stephens vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Khalid Taha vs. Sergey Morozov
Francisco Figueiredo vs. Malcolm Gordon
Amanda Lemos vs. Montserrat Ruiz
Anderson dos Santos vs. Miles Johns
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