UFC Vegas 111 has taken a couple of hits ahead of Saturday.
The UFC APEX event has lost two bouts just days out from fight night, with Robert Valentin pulling out of a middleweight bout against Jackson McVey, and Adrian Yanez also needing a new opponent with Christian Quinonez withdrawing from their bantamweight contest.
Valentin revealed via Instagram Stories he suffered a back injury this past weekend that will prevent him from competing. It is not yet known why Quinonez is out of his fight, but Yanez shared a post on social media confirming he is searching for a replacement opponent.
Yanez is eager to stay on the card after losing a split decision to Daniel Marcos this past December. Should the 23-fight veteran not be re-booked soon, he could go a full year without fighting while mired in a 1-3 slump.
As for McVey, the plan was to have recent UFC debutant Donte Johnson step in for Valentin, but MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed that the Nevada Athletic Commission has not cleared Johnson to fight Saturday. Johnson competed just three days ago at UFC Vegas 110, defeating Sedriques Dumas via second-round submission.
UFC Vegas 111 is headlined by a welterweight bout between Gabriel Bonfim and Randy Brown. The card now proceeds with 11 fights. See the updated lineup below.
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
Matt Schnell vs. Joseph Morales
Muslim Salikhov vs. Uros Medic
Chris Padilla vs. Ismael Bonfim
Ricky Simon vs. Raoni Barcelos
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Marco Tulio
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Hyder Amil vs. Jamall Emmers
Josh Hokit vs. Max Gimenis
Tecia Pennington vs. Denise Gomes
Miles Johns vs. Daniel Marcos
