The UFC dropped a bombshell on the MMA community tonight when word broke that UFC 176, scheduled to take place in LA on August 2, has been “postponed.”
Here is an excerpt from the official press release that hit inboxes Tuesday night:
Las Vegas, Nev. – The UFC® has announced that the UFC 176 Pay-Per-View event scheduled for August 2nd will be postponed*. The featherweight championship fight scheduled to headline the event at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles was dropped from the card last week when champion Jose Aldo sustained an injury making him unable to defend his title against No. 1 ranked featherweight Chad Mendes.
The featherweight championship fight between Aldo and Mendes is expected to take place later this year and all other fights previously slated for UFC 176 are being rescheduled for upcoming cards. The August 30th Pay-Per-View event will remain titled UFC®177: DILLASHAW vs. BARAO II** at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Tickets for UFC 177 go on-sale Friday, July 18th.
There was a time where this was unheard of from the UFC brass. Now we have weathered two full PPV fight cards being scrapped within a year. UFC 151 saw this same fate last August when an injury to Dan Henderson forced the card to be scrapped when Jon Jones would not fight Chael Sonnen as a late replacement. This go around it is the champion that suffered the injury and the cancellation, er, postponement speaks volumes as to how the UFC viewed the card that made up UFC 176.
NORTH TEXAS FIGHTERS ON UFC 176 LAND IN TULSA
Originally UFC 176 would have featured two native North Texans fighting in the Octagon in separate bouts. Octagon MMA’s Matt Hobar was originally scheduled to fight on the card but the UFC moved him to the UFC Fight Night 49 card taking place on August 23 in Tulsa, OK weeks before. Hobar will face Aaron Phillips on the night’s prelim card.
Additionally, Phalanx Powerhouse’s James Vick was originally scheduled to fight Walmir Lazaro at UFC 176 but will now be placed on the same Fight Night 49 card in Tulsa. The fight will mark Vick’s return to the Octagon after nearly a year sidelined due to injury.
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