Vera vs. Saenz off UFC 235

Saturday’s UFC 235 will proceed with 12 bouts.

UFC 235 is down a fight.

Marlon Vera is out of his bantamweight bout against Frankie Saenz due to illness, UFC officials announced Wednesday morning. Bloody Elbow confirmed the news with Vera’s manager Jason House, who declined to speak further on Vera’s withdrawal.

UFC 235, which takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will proceed with 12 fights. Vera vs. Saenz was scheduled for the UFC Fight Pass early preliminary card.

Vera wrote in a tweet Wednesday it “hurts” not to be able to fight at UFC 235. Vera wrote that a doctor told him he would be able to make the 135-pound limit for his fight against Saenz.

“Dr told me there’s no way to cut the weight like that,” Vera wrote. “I’ll rest up recovery and go Back to work.”

Vera was initially booked to fight Thomas Almeida, but the Brazilian fell out of the contest due to injury. Saenz stepped up against “Chito” on short notice.

Vera is riding a two-fight winning streak, and most recently defeated Guido Cannetti via submission at UFC Bueno Aires last November. The Ecuador native holds notable wins over Brian Kelleher and Brad Pickett.

Saenz has also won two in a row, with decisions over Henry Briones and Merab Dvalishvili in May 2018 and December 2017, respectively. His win over Dvalishvili snapped a three-fight skid. Saenz, 38, is 5-3 in the UFC.

UFC 235 is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and Anthony Smith. In the co-feature, welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley defends his belt for the fifth time against Kamaru Usman.