UFC on ESPN 3 in Minneapolis has taken a hit.
Vince Murdock, who was set to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Jordan Griffin announced on Instagram that he has withdrawn from the fight. He accepted the fight two weeks ago after Chas Skelly was originally set to face Griffin, but Skelly had to pull out due to an injury.
The 28-year-old Murdock says the UFC will not clear him to fight, and will need to run more tests in order to clear him. He adds that he believes with the upcoming test he will complete, he will be allowed to fight soon.
As of now, there is no word on if the Las Vegas-based promotion will seek a replacement opponent for Griffin. The UFC has not yet commented on if this will change the start time or the bout order for UFC on ESPN 3. Potentially losing his opportunity to compete on this card, “The Native Psycho” was planning to return from a loss to Dan Ige in his UFC debut.
Murdock’s statement on his Instagram page says the following:
“Difficult as it is to say, I must let you know that, I won’t be making the walk this sat. Unfortunately at this time the @ufc requires some more test to clear me medically fit to fight. As difficult as it is for me to write this message, I strongly believe with the required test completed in the coming days I will be cleared to fight.
“I wanna thank my management @iridiumsports @iridiumsportsagency with the support of the @ufc for the great opportunity and getting me the proper medical attention required to compete and my well-being.
“I apologize to everyone that was looking forward to seeing me make the walk this Saturday, no one is more crushed then I am. I strongly believe this will be resolved soon and I will have another opportunity to make the walk – Again the amount of love and support leading up to this has been overwhelming and can’t thank y’all enough – Stay tuned.”