UFC 159: Nick Catone hospitalized for dehydration; fight with James Head scratched

A poorly handled weight cut has hospitalized Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Nick Catone, forcing his scheduled bout against James Head to be scratched from tonight's (April 27, 2013) UFC 159: "Jones vs. Sonnen" fight card.

After missing the 171-pound welterweight limit by two pounds at Friday's (April 26, 2013) weigh-in event (watch it here), Catone was fined 20 percent of his purse by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) and the bout was changed to a catchweight contest.

Catone did not make a second attempt to reach the weight and it appears the dehydration caused by his weight cut was so severe that it led to a trip to the hospital.

The news was passed along via press release from UFC officials and the card will go on with 11 scheduled bouts.



Upon hearing the news, Head took to his official Twitter account to comment on the situation.



"Hey guys, I'm sorry to inform you that the UFC let me know I'm not fighting tonight because Nick Catone is hospitalized," Head wrote. "He is a tough guy and I wish him a speedy recovery. I trained really hard for this fight and am disappointed that I won't get to compete but I will be ready to fight soon when the UFC calls."

Catone vs. Head was slated to stream on the Facebook portion of the preliminary card, which now only features two match ups of Steven Siler vs. Kurt Holobaugh and Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie.

MMAmania.com will pass along any updates on the medical condition of Catone as details become available.

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire card this evening, starting with the Facebook "Prelims," which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, right on through the FX-televised under card bouts at 8 p.m. ET and then main card PPV action, which is slated to begin at 10 p.m. ET.

For more news and notes on the UFC 159 fight card, check out our complete event archive here.