Josiah Harrell Diagnosed with Brain Disease Ahead of UFC 290 Fight, Will Have Surgery

Josiah Harrell was set to make his UFC debut on Saturday, but that took a back seat to his health on Friday.

Nolan King of USA Today's MMA Junkie reported Harrell's manager, Maurice Blanco, said the fighter's pre-fight brain MRI revealed moyamoya syndrome. Moyamoya syndrome is a rare disease that increases one's risk for a stroke because of blocked arteries at the base of the brain.

Harrell, who will no longer fight Jack Della Maddalena, will undergo brain surgery.

This is not the first time a UFC fighter was diagnosed with moyamoya syndrome.

Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting noted former UFC fighter Vince Murdock's debut was also canceled because of such a diagnosis. Yet it was not a career-ending diagnosis, and the expectation is it will not be for Harrell either.

This also leaves Della Maddalena without an opponent after Harrell was selected as a replacement less than a week ago. Maddalena was initially scheduled to face Sean Brady, but he had to withdraw because of Streptococcus B in his left elbow.

Simon Samano of MMA Junkie noted Della Maddalena has won four straight matches via stoppage since entering the UFC in September 2021 through Dana White's Contender Series. As ESPN's Brett Okamoto wrote, it's unclear if he'll try to book something ASAP.

UFC 290 will take place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.