John Hathaway injured, Gunnar Nelson awaits new opponent for UFC 189
UFC 189 main card fighter John Hathaway suffered an injury in training and has been forced to pull out of his scheduled fight against Gunnar Nelson on July 11.
UFC officials confirmed Hathaway's withdraw from the card to FOX Sports on Tuesday. The news was initially reported by MMAJunkie.com.
The search is currently underway to find a new opponent to face Nelson in July. The welterweight fight was originally scheduled to take place on the main card for pay-per-view, but there's no word if this change could force a switch in the bout order.
Unfortunately, Hathaway's injury is just the latest in a series of issues the promising fighter out of England has dealt with during his career.
Hathaway has sat out for at least a year during three different spans since joining the UFC in 2009. He most recently fought in March 2014, losing by knockout to Dong Hyun Kim in China.
The British-born competitor has fought two times or less per year from 2010 to 2014 and there's no word on when he might return to action in 2015 or beyond.
Nelson will be returning from the first loss of his career in July after dropping a split decision in his last fight against Rick Story in October 2014.
Nelson is currently in camp in Las Vegas alongside his teammate and UFC 189 main event fighter Conor McGregor as he now awaits word on a new opponent with Hathaway sidelined.
