UFC news: Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon cancelled for UFC Austin

The lightweight match between Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone, which was scheduled to air live on ESPN/ESPN+ from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas later tonight (Saturday, June 18, 2022), has been canceled. The veteran’s left knee locked up after official weigh-ins on Friday, and according to Ariel Helwani’s first report, the knee never got better. Lauzon will be unable to participate on Saturday, and it was uncertain when, or even if, the company would attempt to reschedule the bout.

Cerrone and Lauzon were supposed to fight at UFC 274 in Phoenix, Arizona this past May. The two lightweight experts were preparing for a “legacy fight,” which had fight fans on the edge of their seats. Both fighters have failed to win in the Octagon recently, so this was their time to show that they still have something left in the tank. Cerrone was forced to withdraw from the bout only hours before the card began due to what doctors described as food sickness. “Cowboy” is one of the most skilled fighters in the sport’s history, but the fact that he pulled out hours before a planned battle indicated that things were serious. The fight has now been rescheduled for this saturday in Austin.

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Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon cancelled as Lauzon injured

Lauzon said in a video posted to Instagram Saturday afternoon, “So, I’m not fighting Cowboy Cerrone tonight. The freakiest, weirdest thing ever. I weigh in officially, everything’s fine, I go to sit down in the chairs where all the fighters are, and I go to put my socks on. … I turn my knee out, and my knee locks up.”

“The reason I didn’t go to weigh-ins yesterday was not because of cramps, that was kind of the story because they don’t want to sell me out,” Lauzon said. “I literally can’t put any weight on my left leg. Like, none. We tried doing an injection, tried to help it out to num it a little bit to move and manipulate it a little bit better, that didn’t help. Literally, I can’t stand.” Due to the cancellation of Lauzon vs. Cerrone, UFC Austin will now feature 13 fights in total. Adrian Yanez and Tony Kelley’s bantamweight bout has been moved to the ESPN main show.