The highly anticipated UFC welterweight showdown between Diego Sanchez (30-13) and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (36-15-1, 1 NC) is off. First reported by Carlos Contreras Legaspi, Sanchez has had to pull out of the fight.
At this time, it is not known why Sanchez is having to pull out of the UFC Vegas 26 matchup. This was supposed to be Diego Sanchez’s retirement fight, but it looks like Sanchez’s career will extend a little due to this turn of events.
As of now, the promotion is fully planning on keeping Donald Cerrone on the card. The UFC is actively searching for a replacement opponent to fight Cerrone at 170 pounds. There is no word on if there is any traction at this time.
This was going to be a big fight for both men. Diego Sanchez has gone 3-2 in his last five fights, but he was looking to go out with a signature win. A win over Cowboy Cerrone would have just been that.
On the flip side, Cowboy Cerrone is looking to turn his UFC career around. Cerrone found himself in a title eliminator at 155 pounds against Tony Ferguson in 2019. Cowboy was on a mission to capture the lightweight title and after the birth of his son, he looked better than ever.
However, Cerrone ran into a buzzsaw in Tony Ferguson. After the Ferguson loss, Cerrone suffered back-to-back first round knockout losses at the hands of Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor.
Now, in 2021, Cerrone is just 0-4-1 in his last five UFC fights. Donald Cerrone needs a win in the worst way and Diego Sanchez looked like a winnable fight. We will have to follow along to see who the promotion gets for Cowboy’s replacement.
Another hit for UFC Vegas 26
This is the second big hit to UFC Vegas 26 in as many days. Last night we learned that the main event between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen was off. A cut to Dillashaw in training is forcing the bantamweight headliner to be postponed.
As of now, it appears that Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez will headline. However, that has not officially been announced by the UFC. Now this matchup between two legends is off. I’m sure the promotion will find a quality replacement, but this is disappointing for fight fans.