UFC Loses Philadelphia Fighter For Atlantic City, NJ Fight Night

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced they were returning to Atlantic City for the first time since 2018, many people were excited about the return of the top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization to Jim Whelan's Boardwalk Hall. But unexpected news this week has put the Fight Card in question for the March 30th scheduled UFC Fight Night.

On January 12th, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed reports about the MMA organization's return to Atlantic City and announced the Main Event would be a showdown between two of the Top Ten Ranked Welterweights: Number Seven Ranked Sean Brady against Number Nine Ranked Vicente Luque.  Both men have local area ties with Sean Brady fighting out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Vicente Luque born in Westwood, New Jersey.

But ominous internet rumors from last weekend have been confirmed by multiple sources that the 31-year-old Brady will not be fighting in Atlantic City on March 30th. In fact, the fighter himself, Sean Brady, went on Instagram to confirm the news that an injury will keep him from returning to Atlantic City.

Brady is the former Welterweight Champion of the CFFC and is 7-0 in his MMA career when fighting in Atlantic City.  According to USA Today Sports MMA Junkie, there is uncertainty if Vincente Luque will still fight on the March 30th UFC Fight Night in Atlantic City.

There has been no official announcement from the UFC yet as to who could be the new Main Event for UFC Atlantic City Fight Night.  There are concerns that with the highly anticipated UFC 300 PPV event two weeks after the March 30th Fight Card at Boardwalk Hall and UFC 299 PPV two weeks earlier, Atlantic City may get overlooked by UFC Officials.

When the UFC was in Atlantic City in April 2018, the fight card had Toms River, New Jersey's own MMA star, Frankie Edgar who will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame later this year. Without that level of star power for the UFC Atlantic City Fight Night, how does that impact local and regional interest in this event?

The biggest name local fighter still booked for the March 30th UFC Event at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall is number two ranked Women's Flyweight Erin Blanchfield from Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

Blanchfield trains at Renzo Gracie Academy's Silver Fox BJJ in Northern New Jersey and she is on a nine-fight winning streak. With a win on March 30th in Atlantic City, Blanchfield should be next in line for a shot at the UFC Women's Flyweight Title.

Some other regional fighters who have been reported to be a part of the UFC Fight Night Atlantic City on March 30th include:

*Andre Petroski trains at Renzo Gracie Philly and has a 10-2 MMA Record
*Julio Arce trains at Tiger Schulmann's Mixed Martial Arts in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, and has an 18-6 MMA Record
*Former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman is from Nassau County, New York, and is scheduled to fight Bruno Silva in Atlantic City