UFC Fight Night 97 Canceled After BJ Penn Withdraws
With BJ Penn pulling out of the main event of UFC Fight Night 97 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on Saturday, October 15th against Ricardo Lamas due to a rib injury, the UFC has canceled the event. The promotion announced the news on Thursday via a press release.
Fighters that were scheduled to compete at the event will be rebooked at upcoming UFC events in the near future. Each fighter that was set to compete at UFC FN 97 will also receive compensation due to the card being rescheduled.
Penn confirmed via the release that he suffered a rib injury while training for the upcoming event.
“I suffered a rib injury in training and I apologize to the fans in Manila who were expecting to watch me compete,” Penn said. “I hope to be back in the Octagon soon.”
“SMLEI and UFC will continue to work together in the future to deliver exciting live events for fans,” Edgar Tejerero, President of SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. said.
Fans who have purchased tickets to the event should seek refunds at the point of purchase.
Because the 2016 calendar has been finalized, UFC officials will discuss future dates for the promotion to return to Manila. Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura, Janel Lausa vs. Yao Zhikui, Mizuto Hirota vs. Cole Miller were scheduled to also take place at the event.
The event was scheduled to air on UFC Fight Pass. After UFC 204 this Saturday, the next UFC event (UFC Fight Night 98) takes place on November 5th in Mexico City. This event will also serve as the TUF Latin America 3 Finale.
