Controversy Surrounds UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica
One thing that never seems to fail is that if a UFC card takes place in the state of New York and the New York State Athletic Commission is overseeing the festivities, controversy will not be far behind. That's once again the case as we get set for the UFC Fight Night 131 card in Utica on Friday night, as women's strawweight competitor Jessica Aguilar has been pulled from her scheduled fight -- and for a strange reason.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting was the first to report on Friday, just about an hour before the event, that Aguilar had been pulled from the bout against Jodie Esquibel by NYSAC. The initial report didn't state why Aguilar was deemed unable to compete, but MMA Junkie would confirm whispers that Aguilar was cut from the event because of chapped lips.
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Apparently, this was an issue that has been lingering since Thursday. In a bizarre twist to this whole saga, Aguilar was informed that she needed extra medical clearance on Thursday, and she received it. But an issue on Friday arose that rendered that extra medical clearance null and void, it seems.
This is yet another setback for the former World Series of Fighting women's strawweight champion. Since joining UFC in 2015, Aguilar has lost both of her fights in the top promotion, suffered a torn ACL and now has been pulled from a fight for chapped lips.
Still, this entire incident from this week is yet another reminder that when the NYSAC is present, that controversy is peeking right around the corner.
The UFC Utica card on Friday is set to be headlined with Jimmie Rivera taking on Marlon Moraes in a bantamweight bout.