Amir Albazi says he is “heartbroken” he won’t be competing Aug. 2 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in a UFC Fight Night main event against fellow flyweight contender Tatsuro Taira.

The UFC initially announced Albazi was removed from the card “due to injury,” however, the 31-year-old from Iraq clarified that he was not given medical clearance to compete.

“I finished my whole training camp and did everything I could, but I wasn’t medically cleared in time,” Albazi wrote on social media. “The UFC and the commission made the call for my safety. I respect their decision, even though I wanted to step in to that cage and take care of business.”

No specific reason was given for him not being cleared medical, although Albazi does have a history of health issues that have impacted him in the past.

Albazi underwent heart surgery to address an irregular heartbeat following his June 2023 split decision win over Kai Kara-France.

He has previously explained that when he returned to training after the Kara-France win and was preparing for a bout with former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, he began having trouble moving his left arm. After an MRI, he was told he was “one punch away from getting paralyzed,” which resulted in the UFC removing him from the scheduled matchup with Moreno, and Albazi underwent neck surgery.

Albazi recovered from that surgery and was rebooked to face Moreno. He returned after a 16-month layoff but dropped a five-round unanimous decision to Moreno in Edmonton in November.

The No. 3-ranked contender in the 125-pound division is 17-2 in mixed marital arts and is 5-1 at the UFC level.

“I’ll be back stronger and better,” Albazi added. “This is just a setback, not the end. Thank you to my fans, my team, and everyone who supports me through the ups and downs.”