UFC 297 setback: Former title challenger's match scrapped due to injury
As of Dec. 30, UFC 297 will have one less fight than initially scheduled.
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes announced on his Instagram that his scheduled bout with rising contender Carlos Ulberg had been canceled. Reyes stated that he was told his opponent had suffered an injury while expressing frustration with the situation.
Reyes continued on his Instagram story to claim that the UFC was looking for either a short-notice replacement or rescheduling the fight with Ulberg.
Shortly after Dominick Reyes' announcement, MMA Fighting reported that the matchup would likely remain intact and postponed to March 30, 2024. The Fight Night event scheduled for that date will occur in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
As of Dec. 30, the only fight confirmed to take place on the UFC Atlantic City event is the women's flyweight title eliminator between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot.
While Reyes is currently on a four-fight losing streak, Ulberg has won five in a row with his last four all ending inside the distance.
Ulberg has not responded to Reyes or made a statement on social media regarding his injury.
Dominick Reyes' downward spiral post controversial decision loss to Jon Jones
Once known as a solid American football prospect, Dominick Reyes quickly climbed the MMA ranks en route to a UFC title fight against Jon Jones.
To this day, Reyes' biggest claim to fame continues to be his unanimous decision loss at UFC 247. Many continue to state that Reyes was robbed of a victory on that night and should have been the man to dethrone Jones.
However, as of 2023 — three years later — Reyes has not picked up a win since facing Jones.
Entering the championship fight, Reyes was undefeated at 12-0 with wins over former title challengers Ovince Saint Preux and Volkan Oezdemir. Heading into the fight with Jones, Reyes also earned a first-round knockout of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
Due to the controversy at UFC 247, Reyes was awarded an immediate second title shot at UFC 253 for the vacant light heavyweight belt following Jones' departure from the division. However, the 'Devastator' would suffer his first knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz.
Coming off multiple championship fight losses, Reyes went back and forth with eventual champion Jiri Prochazka, but ultimately ended up on the wrong end of another highlight-reel knockout. Most recently, the American fought Ryan Spann at UFC 281, losing again by knockout, this time in the first round.