Rory MacDonald Withdraws from UFC 152 Fight with BJ Penn

A key element of UFC’s upcoming Toronto, Ontario card fell apart Saturday as UFC President Dana White confirmed that Canadian standout Rory MacDonald was forced to withdraw from his fight with BJ Penn.

MacDonald reportedly suffered a major cut in training, and the injury, which required stitches, will erase his availability for UFC 152 on September 22.

At press time, White and company had not confirmed whether Penn, who had come out of a claimed retirement for the anticipated battle with MacDonald, would remain on the card for a replacement fight.

The Penn-MacDonald fight, seen as a pivotal opportunity for either Penn to prove he still belongs or the highly-touted MacDonald to affirm his skills against a legend, was notable in that the fighters had agreed to separate drug testing under the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

The flyweight championship bout between Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez and a key Middleweight match between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann still headline UFC 152.

Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002. Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

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