There has been a setback for UFC 287 as Li Jingliang has been forced to withdraw due to an injury.
Multiple sources familiar with the UFC 287 event have confirmed to MMA Fighting that Li Jingliang has withdrawn from his scheduled fight against Michael Chiesa. The event is set to take place on April 8th at the Miami-Dade Arena in Miami.
Although Chiesa is expected to remain on the card, a replacement opponent for him has not yet been named.
"The Leech" announced the news of his withdrawal from his scheduled welterweight bout against Michael Chiesa on the April 8 card in Miami on Chinese social media platform Douyin. The news was later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. It remains unclear whether Chiesa will still fight on the card against a replacement opponent.
Jingliang fought twice in 2022, earning a second-round technical knockout victory against Muslim Salikhov at UFC on ABC 3 before losing a split decision to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 in September. In his promotional tenure that began in 2014, he holds a record of 11-6.
Chiesa did not compete at all in 2022 after ending his 2021 campaign with consecutive losses to Vicente Luque and Sean Brady. Since joining the UFC in 2012, the winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 15" has a record of 11-6 in the Octagon.
UFC 287 will take place at the Miami Dade Arena in Miami, Florida, and will feature a middleweight title rematch between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya as its main event.