Amanda Nunes is no longer defending her title at UFC 213 on Saturday night as planned, but not on the doctors’ advice, according to UFC president Dana White.
White told Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire that the UFC women’s bantamweight champion was cleared by doctors to compete in the pay-per-view main event against Valentina Shevchenko despite being hospitalized due to illness. However, Nunes herself said she didn’t feel fit to fight, and the Shevchenko rematch has since been scrapped.
Shevchenko still wants to fight, and strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk has offered to step up, but that bout won’t happen on less than one day’s notice, per Nevada State Athletic Commission director Bob Bennett. It seems likely Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 will be re-booked for a later date.
Pugmire also got Bennett’s thoughts on the situation:
UFC 213 takes place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8. In the new main event, Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker fight for the interim middleweight championship.