Demian Maia can't fight Gunnar Nelson due to staph infection

Dublin almost had a really interesting welterweight fight set for their card in October, but it will not come to pass. Demian Maia, who is coming off a big win at UFC 190, was asked to fight Gunnar Nelson on the Ireland card, but a report from UFC Tonight states that he was forced to turn the bout down due to a lingering staph infection on his leg.

This is not the first infection that has sidelined the Brazilian grappler - he was out for a while last year dealing with a bone infection in his shoulder.

The 37-year-old Maia (21-6, 15-6 UFC) has seen a resurgence lately after a couple of losses to Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald in late 2013 and early 2014. He has won three bouts in a row, including the submission win over Magny mentioned above.

According to the report, Stephen Thompson was also approached about fighting Nelson, but couldn't take the bout because he's "too banged up" right now.

Nelson (14-1-1, 5-1 UFC) is expected to stay on the card against a TBA opponent. He trains in Ireland along with Conor McGregor at SBG.

If you want to see a nasty picture of Maia's staph issue (warning - it's gross), check out MMA Fighting's article.