Back to the MMA Newsfeed

UFC Vegas 53 preliminary card opener scratched due to illness

I suppose it’s not a UFC card until there’s a late cancellation.

The opener to the UFC Vegas 53 preliminary card between flyweights Tatsuro Taira and Carlos Candelario has been postponed to UFC Vegas 54 on May 14th. Both men made weight on Friday but Candelario was forced to withdraw from the event due to illness, promotion officials announced on Saturday.

Taira (10-0) was set to make his UFC debut after racking up eight finishes out of his 10 wins as a professional MMA fighter. Last year the 22-year-old stopped Japanese MMA veteran and former WEC title challenger Yoshiro Maeda, and in his final Shooto appearance he won the promotion’s flyweight title.