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
