Brady Reveals Staph Infection Behind UFC Main Event Pullout

Sean Brady pulled out of his UFC Vegas 124 headliner against Gabriel Bonfim after a staph infection in his knee landed him in the hospital for three days, per MMA Mania.

The welterweight contender was set to face Bonfim in the November 7 main event at the Apex in Las Vegas when the infection flared up without warning. Brady posted to his YouTube channel that he woke up with a swollen knee after training on Tuesday, October 21, and by that night could barely walk. He checked into the hospital the next morning and stayed there while doctors drained fluid from the joint daily. "They pulled, like, 30" needles, he said, according to the report.

Brady Tried To Reschedule For December Card

Brady asked the UFC to move the bout to a December date so he could still fight twice this year, but was told cards on December 5 in Saudi Arabia and December 12 were already full. He now hopes to land on the January 16 Dallas card, either against Bonfim or a new opponent. "There's just no way around it," Brady said of the withdrawal, noting the infection was still active and preventing him from training or cutting weight.

The UFC replaced Brady-Bonfim with a heavyweight bout between Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker. Brady said the knee remains swollen more than a week after leaving the hospital and that he recognized the staph immediately from past infections in his arm and leg. "It's just a different pain," he explained.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Sean Brady reveals reason for UFC main event withdrawal: ‘There’s just no way around it’