Report: Robbie Lawler off UFC 255; Mike Perry wants replacement fight

ESPN's Ariel Helwani (h/t Marc Raimondi) reported on Wednesday that a welterweight fight between Robbie Lawler (28-15-0, 1 no contest) and Mike Perry (14-6-0) scheduled to occur at UFC 255 on Nov. 21 is off. 

Earlier in the day, Perry tweeted that Lawler is dealing with an injury. Khamzat Chimaev and Darren Till, two potential opponents Perry mentioned on social media, already have matches planned for December, but the UFC is looking for a different replacement as quickly as possible. 

Lawler, 38, has lost his past four fights and five of his last six. After over a year away from the promotion, he returned to the octagon to battle Neil Magny in late August. Lawler lost that contest via unanimous decision. 

Perry, meanwhile, ended a two-fight losing streak and became a fan-favorite, in the process, when he defeated Mickey Gall in June after he controversially chose to have only his girlfriend in his corner. The 29-year-old then earned negative press, however, when a video of him punching an older man in the face and using racist language while at a bar in Lubbock, Texas went public weeks after his win over Gall. 

There were discussions among mixed martial arts analysts at the time that the UFC could cut ties with Perry, but he reportedly completed a substance and behavioral treatment program that allowed him to save his job and, ultimately, book one more fight before the year's completion.