When it was announced earlier this week that Sergio Pettis suffered an injury and would not be able to compete at UFC Fight Night 96 on Oct. 1 in Portland, Oregon, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight division saw one of its most prized contenders hit the shelf. More importantly, Louis Smolka saw his golden ticket to title contention fly out the proverbial window.
Since Pettis' injury was considered just "minor," Smolka was obviously enraged. After all, the 25-year-old Hawaiian, who has secured a 5-1 divisional record since making his UFC debut in 2015, was already weeks into his training camp.