http://www.mmamania.com/2016/10/24/13381150/ufc-lightweight-fired-after-refusing-fight-injured-mma “I was in emergency the night before I gave the bad news that I had to pull out,” Baghdad told The MMA Circus (via Bloody Elbow). “I called my manager, my manager called Joe Silva. And Joe Silva just answered back like, ‘You need to pull out? We cut you.’ And my manager said, ‘Come on, man, you can’t do that! The doctor said that he has to do surgery; he can’t fight. And then he force himself to fight? He can't! He has to do surgery.' So my manager let me know. 'They need you to go fight, or you are fired.’”
UFC matchmaking is a nightmare. It is totally at the whim of a few guys. Obviously it isn't as simple as the NBA where you can just slot everyone in for 82 games. But there has to be some kind of mechanic where everyone is getting enough fights, fights against guys who are of a similar ranking, and guys aren't getting punished by Napoleonic tyrants.