An injury has forced Canadian bantamweight Charles (Air) Jourdain off Saturday's UFC Fight Night card in Atlanta.
The 29-year-old from Montreal was slated to face Ricky Simon, who will now take on fellow American Cameron (The Baby-Faced Killer) Smotherman at State Farm Arena.
"It is with deep sorrow that I announce my first withdrawal from my fight in 15 UFC appearances," Jourdain said in a social media post. "Unfortunately, I was not medically cleared due to a condition requiring surgical intervention. I trust this is part of a greater plan and I’m committed to returning stronger."
Saturday's main event pits former welterweight champion Kamaru (The Nigerian Nightmare) Usman, a Nigerian-born American currently ranked fifth among 170-pound contenders, against No. 7 Joaquin (New Mansa) Buckley of the United States.
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Jourdain (16-8-1) snapped a two-fight losing streak with a submission win over Victor (La Mangosta) Henry in November in Edmonton. He is 7-7-1 in the UFC since making his debut in the promotion in May 2109.
Canadian flyweight Jamey-Lyn Horth (7-2-0) takes on American Vanessa (Lil Monster) Demopoulos on the Atlanta undercard. The 35-year-old from Squamish, B.C., is coming off a December loss to No. 11 Miranda (Fear The) Maverick, who fights former strawweight champion Rose (Thug) Namajunas in Saturday's all-American co-main event.
