West Australian mixed martial artist Cody Haddon has suffered another devastating setback, withdrawing from the biggest fight of his career at UFC 322 due to injury.
Another Crushing Blow for Rising Star
The UFC confirmed on Friday morning that Haddon (8-1) was forced to pull out of his scheduled preliminary bout against undefeated bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0). The fight was set to take place at Madison Square Garden on Sunday morning, representing a major opportunity for the 27-year-old fighter.
Ethyn Ewing has been named as Haddon's replacement, with the bout now proceeding as a bantamweight contest. Wellmaker took to social media to reveal that Haddon had broken his foot, marking the latest in a series of injury frustrations for the Western Australian.
History of Injury Setbacks
This withdrawal continues a frustrating pattern for Haddon, who hasn't stepped into the octagon since his impressive debut victory over Dan Argueta in October last year. That win came just five weeks after he earned his UFC contract on the Dana White Contender Series.
Earlier this year, Haddon was scheduled to fight Aleksandre Topuria in Sydney but was forced to withdraw because of a foot injury sustained during sparring. The bad luck continued when he partially tore his lateral collateral ligament while training, further delaying his return to competition.
Haddon had actually taken the Wellmaker fight on short notice after an injury to the American's original opponent forced the matchmaking change.
Mental Battle and Future Prospects
Before this latest injury, Haddon opened up to The West Australian about the mental toll of his extended absence from the sport. "It was debilitating. I had a bit of momentum behind me," Haddon confessed.
"It was devastating. You start thinking am I going to lose my job or something? I need to get back in there. To have back-to-back injuries was just crushing," he added, revealing the anxiety that plagued his return to training.
The fighter had recently expressed optimism about his recovery, stating: "Come the tail end of this year, in the past three or four months I have been healthy and able to push hard and get my body back in great condition for this fight. I am so grateful that the universe has given this to me."
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans, leaving Haddon and his fans waiting for his eventual return to the UFC octagon.
