UFC Vegas 53 Loses Exciting Flyweight Bout In Final Hours

An exciting flyweight matchup between Octagon newcomers Tatsuro Taira and Carlos Candelario has been removed from tonight’s (Sat., Apr. 30, 2022) UFC Vegas 53 card live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This is according to a recent report by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter. The bout was removed from UFC Vegas 53 due to an illness to Candelario, but has already been rescheduled for UFC’s upcoming card on May 14th.

Taira, 22, was one of the premier attractions for an event lacking serious star power. The young Japanese fighter is a highly-touted prospect at 125 pounds and is entering the promotion with an undefeated record of 10-0. Fight fans will have to wait a few more weeks before Taira steps inside of the Octagon and showcases his talent that has so many people talking.

Candelario, 30, was hoping to impress in his UFC debut after coming up short on Dana White’s Contender Series back in Aug. 2021. The hard-nosed flyweight was a betting underdog for his matchup with Taira, but will now have two more weeks to prepare for an important Octagon debut.

Following the removal of Taira vs. Candelario, UFC Vegas 53 will proceed will the following lineup:

UFC Vegas 53 Main Event:

135 lbs.: Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera

UFC Vegas 53 Main Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake Collier
145 lbs.: Andre Fili vs. Joanderson Brito
155 lbs.: Jared Gordon vs. Grant Dawson
145 lbs.: Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly
185 lbs.: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Gerald Meerschaert

UFC Vegas 53 ‘Prelims’ Card On ESPN2/ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

265 lbs.: Chase Sherman vs. Alexandr Romanvov
125 lbs.: Daniel Silva vs. Francisco Figueiredo
170 lbs.: Gabe Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
155 lbs.: Natan Levy vs. Mike Breeden
125 lbs.: Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 53 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 53 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here and here. For the updated and finalized “Font vs. Vera” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ lineup click here.