Push during weigh-in forces Klose to pull out of bout vs Stephens
FILE – Jeremy Stephens (L) of the United States exits the cage after being defeated by Calvin Kattar (not pictured) of the United States in their Featherweight fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 9, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
The UFC Fight Night co-main event between Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose in Las Vegas was canceled on Saturday after Klose said he had sustained injuries after being pushed by his opponent during Friday’s weigh-in.
Klose said that he felt his hand go numb and neck tighten up immediately after being forcefully shoved on stage by Stephens during the ceremonial face-off, and woke up with a headache and nausea on Saturday morning before checking into a hospital.
ESPN reported that Klose’s CT scan results revealed he had suffered a cervical sprain of the neck and a concussion. The UFC said during their broadcast that the lightweight bout was off without providing details of Klose’s injury.
“I’m sorry to everyone who was excited for this fight,” Klose said in a tweet. “I tried to do everything I could to stay in this fight but these issues are out of my control.”
— Drakkar Klose (@drakkarklose) April 17, 2021
Stephens said in an Instagram post that he pushed Klose for getting too close to him “with aggressive behavior” during the weigh-in. “I just have zero tolerance for that type of disrespect,” he said.
