UFC middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez issued his first public remarks since the news broke of his UFC Vancouver main event withdrawal.

Anthony Hernandez’s path to a middleweight title shot hit a major speed bump this week.

As reported by the UFC on Monday, Hernandez withdrew from his UFC Vancouver main event bout against Reinier de Ridder next month due to an undisclosed injury. Almost as fast as Hernandez’s injury became public, it was announced that one of his former opponents, Brendan Allen, would fight De Ridder in the new UFC Vancouver headliner.

As of this writing, the nature of Hernandez’s injury and his timeline for a return to the Octagon remain uncertain.

In the meantime, Hernandez took to social media to explain the withdrawal in his first remarks to his fans and followers.

Anthony Hernandez apologizes to Reinier de Ridder following UFC Vancouver cancellation.

In a recent Instagram post, Hernandez addressed his stunning pullout from UFC Vancouver.

“I want to sincerely apologize to the [UFC] and to my opponent [Reinier de Ridder], and to everyone who was looking forward to this matchup. I also want to thank [Brendan Allen] for stepping up, it means a lot. To my fans, thank you for always tuning in, supporting me, and riding with me through everything.

“Right now my focus is on getting healthy so I can come back stronger than ever,” Hernandez continued. “When I return, I’ll be ready to make a statement.”

Hernandez hasn’t fought since a dominant win over Roman Dolidze last month at the UFC Apex. He’s won eight consecutive fights, including recent finishes against Roman Kopylov, Michel Pereira, and Edmen Shahbazyan.

UFC Vancouver features the returns of top names like Kevin Holland, Manon Fiorot, and surging flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius. Allen will make his return to the Octagon after defeating Marvin Vettori at UFC 318 earlier this summer.