Eryk Anders Explains UFC 309 Withdrawal, Hopes to Rebook Chris Weidman Fight

Anders was scheduled to meet Weidman on the prelims of UFC 309 last weekend.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Eryk Anders has updated fans on why his UFC 309 matchup with Chris Weidman was scrapped shortly before the event kicked off.

Anders Hopes To Rebook Weidman Fight After UFC 309

A member of the UFC roster since 2017, Anders has competed for the promotion at both light heavyweight and middleweight and most recently defeated Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision when the pair met in March.

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The win over Pickett set “Ya Boi” up for a high-profile matchup against former UFC middleweight king Weidman at UFC 309, but as soon as the card’s broadcast kicked off the commentary team revealed that the middleweight bout would not go ahead due to a medical issue on the part of Anders.

No further details were provided for Anders' withdrawal during the UFC 309 broadcast, but the day after the event the 37-year-old took to Instagram to inform fans that food poisoning had forced him out of the matchup at Madison Square Garden.

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A post shared by Eryk Anders (@erykanders)

The fight cancellation was particularly disappointing news for Weidman, as many fans speculated ahead of the Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic-headlined card that “The All-American” might choose to hang up his gloves after fighting Anders in his home state of New York.

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Considered by many to be a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame once he finally does retire, Weidman famously upset Anderson Silva to claim the UFC middleweight title in 2013 but has only gotten his hand raised on three occasions since suffering his first loss to Luke Rockhold in their title bout at UFC 194.

Aug 19, 2023; Boston, MA, USA; Chris Weidman (red gloves) fights Bran Tavares (blue gloves) during UFC 292 at TD Garden. / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

It’s unclear at this time if the former champion will be on board with Anders’ desire to reschedule their matchup, and with only three events left on this year's UFC calendar after UFC 309 it seems likely that the fight would have to be booked for the first quarter of 2025 at the earliest.

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