Chris Daukaus Out of His Light Heavyweight Debut at UFC 289

Chris Daukaus is out of his light heavyweight debut at UFC 289 due to an injury sustained during his fight camp leading up to his fight against Khalil Rountree.

The UFC’s long-awaited return to Canada has taken another hit. I’m told Chris Daukaus is out of #UFC289 due to injury. Unclear if Khalil Rountree will remain on the card or not. pic.twitter.com/zVhEFbPkiI

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) June 2, 2023

This is a major blow to the UFC’s return to Canada for their big PPV event UFC 289 next week on June 10th. Daukaus was looking forward to testing himself against a tough competitor for his UFC debut in the light heavyweight division.

Now, the UFC is scrambling to find a potential replacement for Daukaus to keep Rountree on the card, so there isn’t one less marquee fight for the Canadian fans.

Chris Daukaus Really Needed this Bounce-Back Fight

Daukaus has had a really rough go as of late losing each of his last 3 fights in brutal fashion. He has been knocked out in each of his losses by some of the heaviest hitters in the heavyweight division.

While he would have been better suited for the light heavyweight division, he was going up against another heavy-handed striker in Rountree. It would have been interesting to see how he would have done in his new weight class against an elite striker.

We will now have to wait and see Daukaus’ future in the light heavyweight division as it is on hold for now. There is no timetable on when Daukaus will be ready to fight again but I am sure he hopes to get back in there to put on a show for the fans as soon as possible.

Khalil Rountree Searches for New Opponent at UFC 289

Rountree gets the short end of the stick here now that his opponent has pulled out of his fight just a week before fight time. It is going to be tough for the UFC to find a new opponent on such short notice, especially someone inside the top-15.

There are some good fights for Rountree inside the top-15, including Azamat Murzakanov, Ryan Spann, and Dominick Reyes. With Daukus ruled out for UFC 289, any of these fighters would be a great replacement fight for Canadian fans. However, getting someone to accept a fight versus a powerhouse like Roundtree on such short notice might not be an easy task for Dana White and company.

It remains to be seen what the UFC will do with Khalil Rountree’s spot on the UFC 289 main card. Right now, they are trying to find a potential replacement but if I had to put my money on it, it seems most likely that he will be scratched from the fight card altogether.