Chas Skelly stood in the Octagon and waited for his opponent, Jamall Emmers, to make his entrance. But Emmers never came out.
The UFC Fight Night bout between Skelly and Emmers was cancelled Saturday when Emmers was unable to compete after suffering back spasms backstage, according to the UFC broadcast.
Skelly was already in the cage at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas when Octagon announcer Joe Martinez made the announcement that the fight would not be happening.
Emmers was released back to his hotel and did not need to be transported to the hospital, according to UFC officials.
“I feel like I should get my win bonus,” Skelly said in an interview on the broadcast. “I weighed in, I made weight. I stepped in the cage. That’s how I feel. I hope Jamall is OK. No animosity. It sucks.”
Skelly (18-3, 1 NC) has not fought since September 2019 and has competed just twice since 2017 due to injuries. He said he was “disappointed” by the turn of events.
A featherweight, Skelly, 35, said he’s not sure when he’d like to return and fight because he cuts a lot of weight, and a quick rescheduling might not be healthy.
“It’s not easy for me to make weight,” Skelly said. “I don’t want to turn right around and do the weight cut all over again next week. I don’t want to put my body in that yo-yo.”
Emmers (18-5) was coming off a unanimous-decision win over Vince Cachero last August, his first UFC victory.