Serhiy Sidey is faced with a frustrating bump in the road as a major setback in his UFC 322 preparations has forced him to withdraw from the card. The pullout from his bantamweight bout with Malcolm Wellmaker has scrapped that particular pairing, but MMA Junkie has reported that the promotion is seeking a replacement for the undefeated Wellmaker.
The Canadian combatant did not leave MMA fans scratching their heads for long as to why the withdrawal took place, and Sidey took to his social media to clarify some things. Addressing his Instagram followers that he is no longer a part of the consequential contest at Madison Square Garden, Sidey said,
“It’s heartbreaking to write this but unfortunately I have to pull out of my fight Nov 15 for UFC 322 due to a brutal shoulder dislocation during practise. I apologize to my opponent @wallathemachine and I hope you get an opportunity to fight on the card. I was very excited for this opportunity but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be this time . I will do everything to heal quickly and be back as soon as I can . Thank you to everyone for the love and support.”
Serhiy Sidey’s path so far in mixed martial arts
Serhiy Sidey cut his teeth on Canadian MMA regional circuits, and after collecting belts with organizations like BTC Fight Promotions as well as Battlefield Fight League, the 29-year-old would get a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Sidey would secure a UFC contract on that platform with a first-round finish, albeit a somewhat controversial one, against Ramon Tavares. Tavares and Sidey would have an immediate rematch thereafter, and the former evened up the series against the latter. Tavares would emerge with a split decision win at UFC 297 in what was a hotly contested, competitive affair.
The Ontario native would bounce back from his main stage UFC debut defeat by coming out on the other end of a split decision verdict. Sidey received the nod from two of the three cage-side judges against Garrett Armfield last November. Also of note, Sidey is currently riding back-to-back wins inside the octagon, as he also went on to notch a win over Cameron Smotherman via unanimous decision in May.