UPDATED Kai Kara-France Withdraws from UFC 293 in Sydney Due to Concussion

The UFC 293 pay-per-view lineup has taken a significant hit.

Flyweight contender Kai Kara-France announced on Monday that he has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled clash against Manel Kape after suffering a concussion.

“I just wanted to come on here and give you guys an update,” Kara-France said in a video on Instagram. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to withdraw from my next fight in Sydney, Australia [at] UFC 293. I suffered a concussion over the weekend in training. I’ve been speaking to my coaches, my team, and my family. They all think it’s the right decision to put my health first.

“I just want to say sorry to all the friends and family that bought tickets, flights, accommodation, (and to) all of the fans that were excited to fight live. I’m gutted I won’t be a part of this card. It’s been a tough week with my second son being born as well as me pulling out of this fight. Mixed emotions. Frustrated. But I’ve just got to focus on the positives and just spend time with my loved ones. I appreciate the ongoing support and we’ll be back soon. Much love.”

Later on Monday, MMAFighting.com was the first to report that Kape would remain on the UFC 293 card against Felipe dos Santos, who was supposed to fight Tuesday on Dana White's Contender Series before his opponent was unable to weigh in due to medical issues. The former Rizin Fighting Federation champion has won his last three Octagon appearances but thus far in 2023 has seen fights against Alex Perez, Deiveson Figueiredo and Kara-France fall through.

Kara-France has lost back-to-back fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In his last outing, he dropped a controversial split decision to Amir Albazi at UFC on ESPN 46 on June 3.

UFC 293 takes place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.

Editor's Note: This item was updated on Monday at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET to include new information regarding Kape's opponent.

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