Medical issue forces Mickey Gall out of UFC Vegas 121 return after two-year absence

Mickey Gall’s comeback to the UFC has been derailed by a medical issue, with the promotion pulling the 34-year-old from his scheduled welterweight bout against Sedriques Dumas at UFC Vegas 121 in Las Vegas after a pre-fight test returned an abnormal result.

Gall revealed on Instagram that the UFC contacted him on September 24 to inform him that something flagged on his pre-fight medicals had made him ineligible to compete. Luis Hernandez, a recent Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, has stepped in on short notice to face Dumas in Gall’s place.

“I have been pulled back from this fight by the UFC,” Gall wrote. “I was contacted this morning. Something came back on my medicals that [is] making me ineligible via simple procedure. I will be back. It sucks. I have overcome a lot to be here. And it’s not lost on me that I’ve done a lot of losing in there. I wanted to give my friends, my family, my fans something to cheer about. And I’ve worked really hard for that. Unfortunately, that’s not gonna be able to happen this weekend. But once I get this situated and straightened out, I will be back.”

The withdrawal is a significant blow for Gall, who had been absent from competition for nearly two years and had not recorded a victory since 2021. The New Jersey native made his UFC debut in only his second professional fight back in 2016, announcing himself with three consecutive finishes before his career settled into a more inconsistent pattern of wins and losses. He enters the record books at 7-7, having endured a four-fight losing run from 2021 onwards.

Gall did not disclose the specific nature of the medical issue, describing it only as something that can be resolved through a “simple procedure.” He was emphatic that the setback is temporary and that he intends to return to the octagon once the matter is resolved.