UFC releases Askar after medical ‘irregularity’
Bantamweight prospect Askar Askar was supposed to fight Cody Stamann at UFC Vegas 18.
Askar Askar has been released by the UFC after not being medically cleared to compete against Cody Stamann at UFC Vegas 18 last Saturday.
The news was first reported by Aaron Bronsteter of TSN, who said that Askar will be looking to get clearance soon so that he may resume competition. The report added that Askar hopes to re-sign with the UFC once these issues have been resolved.
Am told that Askar Askar has been released from the UFC after not being medically cleared to compete this past weekend against Cody Stamann.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) February 9, 2021
He is seeking medical clearance to resume competition sometime this week and hopes to get re-signed in the near future.
Askar was set to make his promotional debut against the aforementioned Stamann, who was in need of a new opponent after his second opponent was removed due to testing positive for COVID-19. Askar partook in pre-fight events such as media day and weigh-ins, but was pulled from the fight just hours before the card was set to start.
Askar later took to Instagram to offer a short statement as to why he was unable to compete.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be making my UFC debut tonight after an irregularity appeared on one of my medical exams,” wrote Askar. “My team and I are working diligently to resolve this issue and get me back in the cage as soon as possible. I’d like to thank everyone for their support, and I will be back stronger than ever.”
Askar did not provide any further details regarding the irregularity that was found on his exams.
Askar holds an overall professional record of 10-1, with six of those coming by way of stoppage. He most recently returned to Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), where he defeated Kevin Wirthy by unanimous decision in the main event of LFA 92 in October.