Karl Williams and Chase Sherman aren’t fighting at UFC 287 after all.
At the start of the early preliminary broadcast for Saturday’s pay-per-view at Kaseya Center in Miami, it was announced that Sherman has been forced to withdraw from the heavyweight contest due to a medical issue.
The bout was to take place at the start of the second set of prelims. A strawweight bout between Cynthia Calvillo and Lupita Godinez now opens that portion of the card.
It is not yet known if Williams vs. Sherman will be rescheduled for another card.
Williams (8-1) stepped in on less than a week’s notice for Chris Barnett. The recent Contender Series signing made a successful UFC debut this past March with a unanimous decision nod over Lukasz Brzeski.
Sherman (16-11) was looking for a fresh start in his 2023 campaign after going 1-3 last year. In his most recent outing, he lost a unanimous decision to Waldo Cortes-Acosta.