UFC 293 has suffered a significant setback as Kai Kara-France announced his withdrawal from his scheduled fight against Manel Kape. The fight was set to be part of the main card in Sydney, Australia on September 9. Kara-France revealed through an Instagram post that he had sustained a concussion during training, which led to the decision to pull out of the card.
In his statement, Kara-France expressed his regret for disappointing his fans and apologized to those who had purchased tickets and made arrangements to watch him fight. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing his health and stated that his coaches, team, and family supported his decision to withdraw.
Kara-France had been aiming to bounce back from two consecutive losses in his recent UFC fights. He suffered a defeat in his interim flyweight championship bout against Brandon Moreno, followed by a controversial split decision loss to Amir Albazi.
This withdrawal also adds to the series of opponent changes that Manel Kape has encountered over the past year. Kape, who has been looking to climb the flyweight rankings, has had scheduled bouts with Deiveson Figueiredo, Alex Perez, and now Kai Kara-France, all of which were canceled due to opponent changes or withdrawals.
As of now, it is uncertain whether Manel Kape will remain on the UFC 293 card against a new opponent or if his fight will be rescheduled for a later date. The main event of UFC 293 features middleweight champion Israel Adesanya defending his title against Sean Strickland, while Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov are set to face off in the co-main event.