UFC 290 competitor Josiah Harrell was evacuated from the ring due to a rare brain disease: 'The MRI may have saved his life'
Josiah Harrell's withdrawal from UFC 290 was a significant disappointment, but his manager sees it as a "blessing in disguise."
On the eve of Saturday's show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the culmination of International Fight Week, Harrell (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was pulled from the event due to what the promotion initially described as a "medical issue."
After Harrell's scheduled promotional debut against Jack Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was canceled, his manager Maurice Blanco of First Round Management notified MMA Junkie that his client had been pulled due to an irregularity on a routine pre-fight brain MRI.
Harrell was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a serious and rare disorder that can cause clotting at the base of the brain, based on scans. Blanco stated that the MRI "may have saved his life" and that Harrell is scheduled to undergo brain surgery soon.
Blanco claims Harrell was previously unaware he had the condition. The brain MRI before UFC 290 was Harrell's first in his MMA career. Blanco commended the UFC and the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) for the extensive medical tests, which he said the three other states Harrell competed in as a professional did not need.
Harrell isn't the first UFC fighter to hear about Moyamoya during pre-fight testing. Bantamweight Vince Murdock had a virtually same situation in 2019 when he was withdrawn from his scheduled debut against Jordan Griffin.
Murdock finally had to have brain surgery. He was cleared to compete after recuperation and returned to combat in 2020. He was in "Dana White's Contender Series" as well as "The Ultimate Fighter 29."
According to Blanco, Harrell is still on the UFC roster, despite the algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch identifying a removal from the online rankings.
