Josiah Harrell’s UFC 290 withdrawal was a major disappointment, but his manager is calling it a “blessing in disguise.”
On the eve of Saturday’s card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the peak of International Fight Week, Harrell (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was removed from the event due to what the promotion initially vaguely called a “medical issue.”
Hours after Harrell’s scheduled promotional debut vs. Jack Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was canceled, his manager Maurice Blanco of First Round Management, informed MMA Junkie his fighter was removed due to an abnormality on a routine pre-fight brain MRI.
Scans diagnosed Harrell has Moyamoya disease, a serious and rare abnormality that can cause clotting at the base of the brain. Blanco said the MRI “may have saved his life” and added that Harrell is expected to undergo brain surgery soon.
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
According to Blanco, Harrell was previously unaware he had the disease. The brain MRI ahead of UFC 290 was Harrell’s first of his entire MMA career. Blanco thanked the UFC and the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) for the level of medical testing required – something he said the three other states Harrell fought in as a professional did not.
Harrell is not the first UFC prospect to learn of Moyamoya during pre-debut testing. In 2019, bantamweight Vince Murdock experienced a nearly identical scenario when he was pulled from his scheduled debut vs. Jordan Griffin.
Murdock eventually underwent brain surgery. After rehabilitation, he was cleared to compete and returned to fighting in 2020. He competed on both “Dana White’s Contender Series” and “The Ultimate Fighter 29.”
Harrell is still on the UFC roster, according to Blanco, despite the algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch detecting a removal from the online rankings.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
