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Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis off UFC 211

An anticipated flyweight bout that was scheduled for the UFC 211 PPV has been canceled.

By Tim Burke
MMA: TUF Tournament of Champions-Benavidez vs Cejudo Tracy Lee-USA TODAY Sports

UFC 211 is short a pay-per-view fight. Just three days before the event, former flyweight title challenger Henry Cejudo has been forced out of his bout with Sergio Pettis due to a hand injury.

The news was reported by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, citing multiple sources.

Cejudo was looking to rebound from two straight losses, while Pettis was getting the highest-ranked opponent of his career thus far. According to the article, Pettis will still receive his show money if he makes weight on Friday.

It will be interesting to see what bout they bump up to the PPV. The obvious candidate is the lightweight fight between former 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, but that is penciled in as the FX featured prelim and advertised as such, so it might take a lot for them to move it out of that spot.

UFC 211 goes down this Saturday in Dallas, TX, with a heavyweight title fight between champion Stipe Miocic and former champion Junior dos Santos as the headliner.

UPDATE - David Branch vs. Krzysztof Jotko will move up to the PPV. The news was reported on UFC Tonight. Also, Pettis will not have to weigh in to receive his show money.

Cejudo also explained the whole situation regarding his hand in an Instagram post:

It is with regret that I have to announce I have had to pull out of my fight with Sergio Pettis this Saturday at UFC 211 due to injury. I really want to apologize to the fans and to Sergio Pettis for this unfortunate event. About two weeks ago I injured my hand sparring, and went to the doctor to get it examined after I was unable to grapple or punch. The doctor looked at x rays and informed me my hand wasn't' broken, so I assumed it was just bruised or sprained. I stopped using my hand for the next week and a half to allow it to rest as much as possible, and I had multiple prp treatments as well as an ultrasound in hopes of breaking up any build up or swelling. After arriving in Dallas on Tuesday evening, I hit mitts with my striking coach to get my timing down, and after I threw my first punch, a sharp pain shot through my wrist and hand. My team and I contacted the UFC to see if a cortisone shot would be allowed. The UFC sent me to a hand specialist, and he told me I had a cyst in my wrist as well as a ruptured capsule with the possibility of a tear in the ligament. He informed me the cortisone shot could possibly do more damage than any benefit and told me it would be insane to fight. He contacted the UFC doctors and informed them that my wrist and hand were unfit to fight this Saturday. I will schedule an appointment with a hand specialist next week and figure out the next course of action. Thank you and I will be back stronger than ever. #photogrid @photogridorg

A post shared by Henry Cejudo (@henry_cejudo) on

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