Before it was announced that all upcoming UFC events had been indefinitely postponed, former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas pulled out of the co-main event against fellow former champ Jessica Andrade. At the time, no reason had been given for Namajunas’ withdrawal, but now, her manager has released a statement saying that the cause was due to personal tragedy.
Brian Butler, Namajunas’ manager, released a statement on Thursday on the fighter’s decision to pull out of the bout:
“Immediate release: @rosenamajunas withdrew from UFC 249 due to 2 deaths in the family related to the Coronavirus. Her hopes are to return to the Octagon as soon as possible but for now we ask for people to respect their privacy during this time.“
Andrade’s team had hoped to make the fight happen at virtually any weight after Namajunas’ withdrawal, but with the news of the event being officially canceled, none of the scheduled fights will happen anyway.
