UFC Cancels 2 Fights As Fighters Test Positive At UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai

UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai that was set for the Apex Facility in Las Vegas has undergone massive changes. Two match-ups, one from the main card and one from the preliminary section of the card, have undergone devastating cancelations. Not to mention, the former main card opener is now being contested between Brian Kelleher and Ray Rodriguez. Kevin Natividad has been pulled from the card as a precautionary measure by the UFC following previous positive testing.

The two aforementioned canceled bouts are Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs Alexander Romanov and Thiago Moises vs Jalin Turner. The news came via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. and has now detailed the third straight UFC event that has undergone major last-minute cancelations. Chiefly, the night’s co-main event feature between Ovince St-Preux and Alonzo Menifield is also a rebooking of a previous COVID-19 related cancelation.

Additionally, the Fight Night card will now have just seven total fights. Such an occurrence was last seen on October 3, 2005, at UFC Fight Night 2, which also played host to seven scheduled bouts.

Heavyweight’s: Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs Alexander Romanov

De Lima was looking to finally build off a run in the UFC. He has traded wins and losses in his last 8 fights spanning back to 2015. However, following his positive test, “Pezao” will be out of commission and will wait to rake in some consistency. Moreover, his opponent in Alexander Romanov was looking to make a splash in the UFC’s Heavyweight division. The fighter from Moldova was keen to extend his undefeated run in his promotional debut.

UFC Lightweight’s: Thiago Moises vs Jalin Turner

Moises suffered a removal on the card and will have to delay his attempt to extend his impressive 2020 showing. Chiefly, “Tarantula” Turner wanted to be the first man to stop Moises, who has only ever accrued losses by decision.

Despite the aforementioned fight being far away from title contention, they both offered fun scrap for their respective divisions. Considering the frequent cancelations, fans will be on the lookout when it comes to future fight cards.