Dana White's week at UFC Las Vegas 93 took a turn for the worse.
Unbeaten Japanese flyweight boxer Tatsuro Taira improved his unbeaten record to 16-0 with a second-round TKO victory over Alex Perez at UFC APEX on Saturday night.
However, their main event match ended in unfortunate circumstances.
Taira jumped onto the former title challenger's back and immediately tried to apply a rear-naked choke, but quickly gave up on the submission attempt.
The 24-year-old instead applied pressure to Perez's legs in an attempt to drag him to the ground, which worked as both fighters crashed to the Octagon floor.
Unfortunately, Perez suffered a shocking, match-ending injury in the process.
The 32-year-old let out a pained cry as he collapsed to the mat, tapping out and then quickly dropping to his knees in pain.
As doctors tried to examine him, Perez stumbled.
He eventually hobbled out of the cage and to a stretcher so he could be properly examined backstage.
It's unclear at this time what exactly the injury was that ruined the UFC Las Vegas 93 main event, but it caps a tough week for White and MMA's premier promotion.
The UFC CEO was forced to cancel a major fight scheduled for its inaugural tournament in Saudi Arabia on June 22.
Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to face Robert Whittaker, but due to a “serious illness” in hospital, Russian fighter Ikram Aliskerov will take his place.
Shortly after announcing Chimaev's withdrawal, White took to Instagram to confirm rumors that Conor McGregor is injured and will not be fighting Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.
“It is extremely difficult for me to step away from my planned return fight,” McGregor told his millions of followers on social media, explaining that it was not a decision he took lightly, having consulted with his doctors, UFC and his entire team.
White, 54, tried to soften the blow by staging an Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka II fight in place of the McGregor vs Chandler bout, but nothing could be bigger than the “Infamous” event.
McGregor's first fight since July 2021 is expected to be rebooked for September or October, with MMA reporter Ariel Helwani suggesting the Irishman could be back in action by August.
White will hopefully be able to get through the next few weeks without any further injury issues.
