Miguel Baeza announces withdrawal from Jake Mathews fight at UFC 291

Miguel Baeza’s comeback will have to wait.

On Wednesday evening, Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) announced that he no longer will be competing in a welterweight bout against Jake Matthews on July 29 at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City. Baeza did not cite a reason for his withdrawal and didn’t give a timeline for a potential return.

“I hate to do this, but I will not be competing July 29,” Baeza wrote on his Instagram Stories. “I want to apologize to the UFC, my opponent, and all those who supported me throughout. I will be back, just been the comeback had just been postponed.”

The UFC has yet to officially acknowledge Baeza’s withdrawal. It’s uncertain if Matthews (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) will get a replacement oppoennt for the July 29 event.

Baeza hasn’t competed since April 2022 when he suffered a first-round TKO to Andre Fialho. The 30-year-old is currently on a three-fight losing streak, a run that halted a 10-0 start to his professional MMA career.

With Baeza’s withdrawal, the UFC 291 lineup now includes:

• Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje
• Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
• Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
• Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
• Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
• Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
• Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
• Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles
• Roman Kopylov vs. Claudio Ribeiro
• Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara
• Jake Matthews vs. opponent TBA
• Uros Medic vs. Matthew Semelsberger
• Priscila Cachoeira vs. Miranda Maverick