A fighter hoping to make his UFC debut this weekend will have to wait.
Askar Askar was not medically cleared to compete Saturday night at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, the promotion announced. His scheduled bout with Cody Stamann has been canceled.
Askar took the fight earlier this week on short notice when Stamann's original opponent, Andre Ewell, was removed due to the UFC's COVID-19 protocols. Askar weighed in for the featherweight bout successfully Friday. But the fight was pulled Saturday morning.
Askar (11-1) was looking to make his UFC debut. The Palestinian Chicago resident is coming off a win over Kevin Wirth under the LFA banner in October. Stamann (19-3-1) has just one loss in his last four fights.
UFC Fight Night on Saturday is headlined by a heavyweight contender bout between MMA legend Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar fights bantamweight up-and-comer Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event.