A highly anticipated bantamweight matchup between former champion TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen will have to wait after Dillashaw suffered an injury during training.
Dillashaw (16-4) was set to return against Sandhagen (14-2) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on May 8 in Las Vegas. On Tuesday, however, Dillashaw announced he is out of the bout after receiving a cut over one of his eyes, caused by an accidental head-butt.
"I'm sad to say that I have to be pulled from my fight on May 8th due to a cut received from a headbutt while drilling," Dillashaw wrote on social media. "Rescheduling the fight as soon as possible."
Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez have verbally agreed to be the new main event on the card, sources told ESPN's Ariel Helwani.
Dillashaw, who trains out of Southern California, was supposed to headline the UFC Fight Night event. It would have been the 35-year-old's first appearance since he surrendered his 135-pound title in January 2019, after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO).
The delay is also a hit to Sandhagen, who is coming off back-to-back knockouts of Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar.
The UFC has not yet announced a new date for the 135-pound bout or a new main event for May 8.