Photos: Ronny Markes pulled from UFC on FUEL TV 10 following car accident

FORTALEZA, Brazil – A morning car accident while driving Ronny Markes to a location to cut weight is to blame for the fighter being out of Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV 10 event, manager Andre Pederneiras said.

Markes (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was scheduled to face Derek Brunson (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on the preliminary card of the event, which takes place at Paulo Sarasate Arena in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. But the accident left the 25-year-old Markes, fighting in his home country, with injuries – and a brief loss of consciousness – that ruled him out of the fight.

Pederneiras said in an email message that he was driving the vehicle when the accident occurred.

“We were in the process of cutting weight with Ronny since 6 a.m.,” Pederneiras said. “There was a little over a kilogram to go. We went to a motel to lose the weight because the bathtub at our hotel did not heat up, and last night the hotel sauna closed at 10 p.m.. At the first motel we visited, the water did not heat either, but Guilherme Santos, who’s assisting in Caio Magalhaes‘ weight cut, let us know about another place they visited which did have hot water.

“We drove off in our rental car and, at a curve, another car cut off a truck and I ended (up) rear-ending them. Ronny, who was already weak from the weight loss, struck his head and was projected forward, being knocked out for a few seconds. It’s a pity – I had never had been in a crash before.”

Markes, hoping to improve to 4-0 in the UFC against former Strikeforce standout Brunson, was said to be initially distraught over having to pull out of the fight.

“I was very sad,” Markes said. “I have faith in God that everything will work out fine.”

Tatame.com’s Guilherme Cruz reported that Markes hurt his “neck, head and ribs” in the crash. Photos provided to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) show not only the damaged vehicle, but Markes in the front passenger seat with a neck brace on.

Pederneiras also injured his knee in the incident.

UFC President Dana White told MMAjunkie.com that both fighters will be paid their guaranteed “show” money.

Markes would have been fighting in his home country for the first time in more than two years and is on a six-fight win streak, including UFC wins over Karlos Vemola, Aaron Simpson and Andrew Craig.

Brunson recently made his UFC debut and ended a two-fight skid with a unanimous-decision victory over Chris Leben at UFC 155. The three-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler opened his career with a 9-0 mark before losses to Kendall Grove and Ronaldo Souza.

For the latest on UFC on FUEL TV 10, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Ronny Markes)