UFC Fight Night 251 has lost one of its scheduled bouts.
Jacob Malkoun was scheduled to compete at the event on Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas against Rodolfo Vieria, but can no longer make the date.
Expressing his frustration, Malkoun (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) revealed on Instagram Stories that an undisclosed injury forced him out of the middleweight contest against Vieira (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
“I’m no longer fighting in Feb.,” Malkoun wrote. “I’m so frustrated that the injuries won’t let me show the world that I’m one of the best middleweights in the world. Maybe the years of grinding have caught up, maybe it’s not meant to be. Either way I’m still the mentally toughest guy out there so I won’t just quit, I will do everything in my power to get back and show the world the hard work and the god given talent I have.
“Maybe my path to greatness is supposed to be harder than most people, maybe it will make my will even stronger, only time will tell. I have faith GOD that he’s doing this for a reason and my faith will never waiver. I am blessed and trust the man above.”
Malkoun’s lone appearance in 2024 was a second-round finish of Andre Petroski in March at UFC on ESPN 54.
At the time of writing, it’s unclear if Vieira will remain on the card to face a replacement opponent.
The UFC Fight Night 251 lineup includes:
Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia
Carli Judice vs. Juliana Miller
Rodolfo Vieira vs. opponent TBA
Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews
Billy Ray Goff vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
Dylan Budka vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
Jesus Aguilar vs. Rafael Estevam
Don’Tale Mayes vs. Valter Walker
Kaue Fernandes vs. Jared Gordon
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
