Scratched! Last-minute injury knocks former champ from UFC 292 PPV main card lineup

Well, that sucks.

During UFC Vegas 78’s broadcast earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 12, 2023), it was announced that Cody Garbrandt is out of his fight with Mario Bautista, which was scheduled to go down next weekend at UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts. According to sources, MMAMania.com has learned it is a lingering back injury that has forced Garbrandt out of his “Bean Town” showdown.

No replacement for Garbrandt has been named as of this writing.

“No Love” snapped his two-fight losing streak in his last outing when he got past Trevin Jones at UFC 285 in March. The former UFC Bantamweight champion was looking to get back into the title conversation after going 2-5 in his last seven, which included four brutal knockout losses.

For Bautista, it is incredibly devastating to lose the Garbrant fight because he has been very close to the Bantamweight Top 15 rankings and super underrated his entire UFC career. Indeed, a notable win over Garbrandt would have shot him up the rankings and put a legit name on his resume. Bautista is riding a four-fight win streak, with his last three wins coming by submission (watch highlights).

Check out the current card for UFC 292:

UFC 292 PPV Main Event On ESPN+:

135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley

UFC 292 PPV Co-Main Event On ESPN+:

115 lbs.: UFC Strawweight champion Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos

UFC 292 ESPN+ PPV Main Card:

170 lbs.: Ian Machado Garry vs. Neil Magny
135 lbs.: Mario Bautista vs. TBD.
135 lbs.: Marlon Vera vs. Pedro Munhoz

UFC 292 ESPN/ESPN+ ‘Prelims’ Under Card:

185 lbs.: Chris Weidman vs. Brad Tavares
185 lbs.: Gregory Rodrigues vs. Denis Tiuliulin
155 lbs.: Kurt Holobaugh vs. Austin Hubbard
185 lbs.: Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
125 lbs.: Andrea Lee vs. Natalia Silva
125 lbs.: Maryna Moroz vs. Karine Silva

LIVE! Watch UFC 293 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 293

For more upcoming UFC events, click here.