FORCED to miss last weekend’s Warrior Cup in San Jose, California, with a groin injury, veteran fighter Jason McKay faces the possibility of not qualifying for the 2017 Jamaica Combined Martial Arts Team, which would be a first since its inception.

Everlast-sponsored McKay failed to show for a three-way fight off against Jesus Iglesias and big Jim Carter at the International Taekwon-Do Federation event.

Coach Claude Chin has since reported that McKay had picked up the injury while preparing for the weekend event and the team doctor was trying, up to Friday, to patch up the veteran fighter for him to catch a late flight.

“We left him behind, hoping the doc would have worked some magic and have him catch up with us. I know they tried hard and we were looking for him, even down to the last minute, but it didn’t work out,” Chin added.

Injuries seem to be getting the better of the veteran fighter, forcing him to miss key matches such as his Legacy Cup title defence in 2014.

However, he rebounded and recently signed a sponsorship deal with Everlast Pan Am region to compete as a super heavyweight, for which he packed on 20lbs of muscle to start competing in the super heavyweight division.

Missing the Warrior Cup kept McKay stuck in ninth position, earned from two silver medals won at international competitions. With one local tournament left to close the season, he could be forced out of a top-10 automatic-qualifying spot by emerging fighters.

McKay last fought in May, winning a silver in his first-ever appearance at the Oregon Open in Hood River, United States.