UFC 290 is set to kick off on Saturday with a number of star-studded fights scheduled. However, one fight that was planned to take place will no longer happen after one fighter received some horrible news before the fight, that could have prevented a life-threatening injury.
No. 14 ranked welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena was scheduled to fight undefeated UFC newcomer Josiah Harrell. Unfortunately, Harrell had to pull out of the fight after receiving a scary diagnosis from an MRI after the fighters weighed in on Friday.
USA Today’s Nolan King issued a tweet relaying a message from Harrell’s manager, stating that Harrell’s MRI showed that he has been diagnosed with moyamoya syndrome, which is a rare disease that results in blocked arteries at the base of the brain. This disease will force Harrell to undergo a brain procedure in the near future.
Per his manager Maurice Blanco: Josiah Harrell’s #UFC290 pre-fight brain MRI may have saved his life. He was diagnosed with moyamoya syndrome, a rare disease that results in blocked arteries at the base of the brain. He will undergo a brain procedure soon. https://t.co/vYfG17SJmL
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) July 7, 2023
It’s obviously disappointing that the fight had to be cancelled, but this MRI likely saved Harrell from putting his health in further risk by fighting.
Fans took to social media to offer their condolences to Harrell and wish him the best with his upcoming procedure.
The medical issue that canceled Josiah Harrell’s fight with Jack Della Maddalena: https://t.co/HbNxKeexfn pic.twitter.com/IETGxMWExN
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 7, 2023
Awful….but good they discovered this before the fight.
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) July 7, 2023
This is incredible. so so happy that he accepted the fight vs JDM now https://t.co/aEfkE0QOml
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 7, 2023
Wow! Everything happens for a reason. This is crazy. https://t.co/7PcBRZuaNY
— Newsome (@Newsome_MMA) July 7, 2023
JDM vs Sean Brady got cancelled so Josiah Harrell could find a potentially life threatening disease.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the fights we forget there’s bigger problems in the world. I can say I am happy JDM vs Brady got cancelled at #UFC290 https://t.co/4meI5ipgzD
— MMA Joey (@MMAJOEYC) July 7, 2023
Wow… a silver lining after all.
Wishing a full recovery for Josiah Harrell 🙏#UFC290 https://t.co/a3ugtcCDQj
— Consensus Score (@ConsensusScore) July 7, 2023
Perhaps even more wild is that Josiah Harrell was never even supposed to be in this situation to fight at UFC 290. He only received the offer to fight Della Maddalena on short notice after another fighter, Sean Brady, initially pulled out of his fight against Della Maddalena.
If that never happened, who knows if Harrell ever would have found out about this rare disease and gotten the proper help that he needs.
