Garcia Scratched, Costa Bout Canceled

The “Mean Machine” broke down.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was forced to cancel the featherweight matchup between Steve Garcia and Melquizael Costa after Garcia was felled by an undisclosed illness. Their 145-pound contest was scheduled for the UFC Austin “Prelims” card on ESPN+ tomorrow night (Dec. 2, 2023) at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Officials made the announcement during the UFC Austin early weigh ins.

No word yet on how the promotion plans to move forward. There’s a chance matchmakers could rebook this fight for an upcoming card; however, there are only two events remaining in 2023 before an extended holiday break (see the current UFC schedule here). If so, expect an announcement at some point over the next few days, if not sooner.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Austin fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the 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 Austin news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here and here. For the updated and finalized “Dariush vs. Tsarukyan” fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ line up click here.