11th-hour cancellation over medical issue costs TUF fighter hard-earned second chance at UFC contract

The UFC Vegas 96 fight between Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher was canceled shortly before the event kicked off. The UFC broadcast team announced the news at the beginning of the broadcast, adding that Fletcher had to pull out due to a medical issue.

UK's Fletcher was a contestant on 'The Ultimate Fighter' (TUF) Season 32. He was eliminated in the quarterfinal stage after losing to Kaan Ofli. Fletcher went the distance with Ofli despite suffering a fibula fracture in Round 1 and put on a show.

In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Fletcher said that he was not officially a part of the UFC roster and hoped to earn the contract with a potential win this weekend. The 26-year-old said that his fighting through the injury to go the distance might have impressed the UFC, prompting the promotion to give him a second chance.

Fletcher had claimed that his fibula injury was not serious and that he was able to resume training in approximately 10 weeks. The UFC has not yet revealed if the same injury caused the fight to get canceled.

Fletcher's opponent, Ramaska, was also a contestant on TUF Season 32. He advanced to the semifinals by defeating Bekhzod Usomov but had to pull out of the competition after being declared medically unfit due to a facial fracture.

It is unclear if the UFC will rebook the Fletcher vs. Ramaska fight on a different date. This was the second bout cancellation at UFC Vegas 96. Previously, the featherweight contest between Danny Silva and Dennis Buzukja was also pulled from the card.

The event now has a total of 11 fights in six weight classes. The main card will feature Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos (TUF 32 featherweight tournament finale) and Robert Valentin vs. Ryan Loder (TUF 32 middleweight tournament finale).

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