The UFC’s summer schedule has been disrupted by fighter withdrawals, leaving their July 13 event at Ball Arena in Denver without its main event. Maycee Barber and Rose Namajunas were originally scheduled to face off, but Rose Namajunas withdrew from the fight. Tracy Cortez has now stepped in as a replacement for the main event.
In addition to the main event, two undercard fights have also been pulled from the event. The welterweight bout between Mike Malott and Gilbert Urbina has been canceled altogether due to an injury sustained by Urbina. Marquel Mederos is also out of his scheduled fight against Nazim Sadykhov, and the promotion is currently seeking a replacement for Sadykhov.
While the reasons for Mederos’ withdrawal are still unclear, there are several matchups that will be taking place at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver, including Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez, Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa, and Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov, among others. Fans can find more information on the event and its matchups on MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
The ongoing cancellations have added another layer of bad luck to the already struggling UFC schedule this summer. It remains to be seen how they will recover from these setbacks and keep their fans engaged with their fights.
