UFC 219 has once again lost another bantamweight fight.
The 30-8 bantamweight fighter John Lineker has pulled out of his bout against Jimmie Rivera after replacing Dominick Cruz. Lineker is out due to a tooth infection and will undergo emergency surgery. According to reports, he should be cleared to return to training in three weeks.
The UFC is currently working to find a replacement opponent for Rivera. Several fighters have offered to take the fight, but at this moment Rivera is still without an opponent this Saturday at the final UFC pay-per-view of the year.
Lineker has released a statement to MMAjunkie apologizing for pulling out of the fight:
“I am really sad to have to withdraw from my fight with Rivera. I felt a little pain in the beginning of the week, went to the dentist and got treated, but (the pain) just kept getting worse. I came to Las Vegas early and tried to stay in the fight, but it was simply impossible. I would like to apologize to Rivera. I know how much it sucks when this happens. I want to apologize to Sean Shelby and the UFC. I begged them for the fight, and they agreed, and now I feel horrible to have to withdraw. And I need to apologize to the fans. I know that this would have been a great fight and everyone was looking forward to it,” Lineker said. “Hopefully Rivera and the UFC will agree to reschedule as soon as I can be ready to fight again.”