Is the UFC Vancouver main event between Justin Gaethje & Cowboy Cerrone in jeopardy after Gaethje’s health scare?
Say it isn’t so!
The UFC Vancouver main event could be in jeopardy after a surprise announcement from one-half of its headliner – Justin Gaethje. According to Gaethje, he was almost forced from the bout with an eye infection, but promises he’s ok now.
“I’ll be honest to everyone, I’m wearing these sunglasses because I almost didn’t make it to this fight,” Gaethje told the media at UFC Vancouver open workouts. “I had an eye infection and I’m through that now and I just got off the plane about an hour and a half ago and I came straight here because I was not gonna miss this opportunity to work out and get the blood flowing and get my mind into fight week. So these lights are super bright, but I’m 100 percent ready to go.”
The thing is, is he really OK to fight? Will he be cleared by the athletic commission following that admission?
Gaethje was sporting sunglasses in front of the cameras sighting sensitivity to light.
“I’m seeing drastic improvements every day. This is just a precaution,” Gaethje said. “I wanted to keep my eyes open for you guys.”
But … but … what about the lights above the cage on fight night? Will he recover in time? How smart was it to notify everyone, including his opponent Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, that he’s fighting at half-health? Could Gaethje be preparing us all for a late withdraw? Or even a loss?
He’s got a few more days to improve but will need to be cleared by the commission on Friday at weigh-ins so we’re certain to be holding our breath until then.
UFC Vancouver takes place on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, live from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your live results and highlights.