John Lineker & Ion Cutelaba Forced Off ESPN+ 1

John Lineker and Ion Cutelaba have been forced off of next week’s UFC on ESPN+ 1 fight card. Now the promotion must scramble to find suitable replacements.

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, both Lineker and Cutelaba have been forced out of their perspective contests against Cory Sandhagen and Glover Teixeira.

Both John Lineker and Ion Cutelaba are out of their respective fights next weekend versus Cory Sandhagen and Glover Teixeira in Brooklyn, sources say. UFC looking for replacements but obviously time is of the essence with the card nine days away.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 10, 2019

A new year is already bringing familiar for the matchmaking department. It will prove to be a tall task to find available fighters on just nine days’ notice.

Although this is a tough blow for the debut card on ESPN, the fight card still remains loaded with intriguing contests. The night will culminate with a champion vs. champion bout between Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw for the flyweight title.