Eryk Anders opens up on reason for UFC 309 withdrawal, hopes to have Chris Weidman fight rebooked

Eryk Anders reveals he was pulled from UFC 309 due to food poisoning.

Anders’ (16-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) three-round middleweight bout vs. Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) on Saturday’s prelims at Madison Square Garden in New York was pulled just minutes before the start of the event.

The 37-year-old took to Instagram to open up on what happened, and lobbied for his fight with Weidman to be rescheduled.

“Status update- got food poisoning Friday night and there was no way I would have been able to go out there and compete. Super upset I didn’t get to compete at MSG against a former champ. I seriously doubt that opportunity will come around again, but it is what it is. Hopefully we can get that matchup rebooked asap. Thank you all for the messages of concern.”

Anders was looking to string together his first winning streak since 2019. He’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Jamie Pickett at UFC Fight Night 238 in March. Meanwhile, Weidman notched his first win since August 2020 when he scored a technical decision win over Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54 in March.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.