Panic attack cancels 14th fight of Contender Series prospect’s career moments before appearance in front of Dana White

Off then on then on again.

Kody Steele (6-0) went through a bit of a rollercoaster of expectations throughout his would-be appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series tonight (Tues., Sept. 10, 2024). The talented Welterweight and Lightweight prospect was originally set to take on the first man to defeat Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, in mixed martial arts (MMA), Quemuel Ottoni, until the latter pulled out abruptly.

Ottoni, 31, initially pulled out an hour before the fight, according to Steele’s coach, William Tackett. The fight then was back on as Ottoni collected himself before inevitably having a panic attack that canceled the bout once and for all. White confirmed on the broadcast that Steele will be paid his show and win money, and get a fight on a later episode of Contender Series.

“@kody_steelebjj ‘s opponent just pulled out less than 1hr before the @ufc contender series due to ‘not feeling it,’” Tackett posted on Instagram. “We shockingly had to remove Kodys wraps just as he started to warm up. 5mins later we were notified that his opponent was back in, and the fight is back on! Mission stays the same [swords emoji] it’s go time.”

The fight cancelation is the 14th of Ottoni’s 15-fight career (12-3). Ottoni was briefly a part of Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) roster without fighting thanks to three consecutive cancelations. Earlier in his career, Ottoni was scheduled to fight future UFC Middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa, before that was also canceled. The aforementioned Pereira fight saw Ottoni win a third round rear-naked choke in 2015.

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