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
