Justin Scoggins will look for a fresh start in 2018.

The veteran UFC flyweight today announced a “spinal process fracture” has forced him out of a matchup with Tim Elliott (14-8-1 MMA, 3-6 UFC) later his month at UFC on FOX 26.

Scoggins (11-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) made made the announcement via Twitter:

“Unfortunately I will not be able to compete on December 16th in Winnipeg due to a spinal process fracture. Thank you for the support, I can’t wait to put on a show for you next year.”

UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement, and it’s not clear if a replacement will be sought.

UFC on FOX 26 takes place Dec. 16 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It airs on FOX following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. Scoggins vs. Elliott was slated for the FS1-televised prelims.

When he does return, Scoggins could be fighting for his UFC job. After decision wins over Josh Sampo and Ray Borg, the 25-year-old has suffered submission defeats to Pedro Munhoz (at bantamweight) and Ulka Sasaki (in his return to flyweight – and in a bout he was winning early).

Meanwhile, Elliott, who went 2-4 in his first UFC stint, briefly left the organization for a title reign with Titan FC. The 30-year-old then re-signed with the UFC, won “The Ultimate Fighter 24” to earn a title shot, and then suffered a hard-fought decision loss to champ Demetrious Johnson in December. He’s 1-1 since then with a decision victory over Louis Smolka (in a “Fight of the Night” performance) and a submission defeat to Ben Nguyen.

The latest UFC on FOX 26 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)

• Robbie Lawler vs. Rafael dos Anjos
• Josh Emmett vs. Ricardo Lamas
• Mike Perry vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Misha Cirkunov vs. Glover Teixeira

PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1, 5 p.m. ET)

• Jan Blachowicz vs. Jared Cannonier
• Julian Marquez vs. Vitor Miranda
• Galore Bofando vs. Chad Laprise
• Tim Elliott vs. Justin Scoggins
• John Makdessi vs. Abel Trujillo
• Oluwale Bamgbose vs. Alessio Di Chirico

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 3:30 p.m. ET)

• Jordan Mein vs. Erick Silva
• Sultan Aliev vs. Nordine Taleb
• Danny Roberts vs. Sheldon Westcott

For more on UFC on FOX 26, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.