UFC 176 Cancelled After Aldo Vs Chad Mendes Headliner Falls Through

UFC 176 in Los Angeles on August 2nd has been cancelled after the scheduled main event, a featherweight title rematch between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes, fell through due to injury.

The event had already looked like being one of the weaker shows the UFC had hosted so far this year, and with that fight being scrapped it had left the main card with just two notable fights – the proposed co-main event between Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza and Gegard Mousasi, plus Gray Maynard Vs Fabricio Camoes.

It appears that line-up was not deemed pay-per-view worthy, and with the UFC churning out more events than ever now – including five this month alone – they were essentially left with no options when it came to drafting in a replacement headliner to save the show.

As with UFC 151 when it was cancelled last year, the UFC won’t change their numbering schedule, so UFC 176 will remain as a non-event and the next scheduled pay-per-view will now be UFC 177: Dillashaw Vs Barao II on August 30th.

As for the fights that were scheduled for the doomed UFC 176 event, Aldo Vs Mendes II is now expected to take place later this year when the champion has recovered from his neck injury, while the other bouts will now be used to bolster some of the UFC’s other upcoming fight cards.

Meanwhile, anyone who had bought a ticket for the L.A show will be entitled to a refund.

There was a time when a UFC event being scrapped was unheard of, but the fact that we’ve now had two occur in the past 12 months gives a strong indication that the promotion are currently stretching their talent pool too thin with over 50 events planned for this year – far more than ever before.

However, as recently as this past weekend UFC president Dana White insisted that, “business has never been bigger” as they continue to expand their reach into new international markets hungry for live UFC events, and so they have no intention of taking their foot off the accelerator.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.