Tonight’s event loses two more bouts, card smallest in 15 years
Due to a series of calamities emblematic of 2020, UFC on ESPN+ 34 is down to just seven fights, the…
Due to a series of calamities emblematic of 2020, UFC on ESPN+ 34 is down to just seven fights, the smallest league event since Ultimate Fight Night 2 on October 3, 2005, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, which also had just seven events.
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Heavyweight veteran Marcos Rogerio de Lima has tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrawn from his fight vs. newcomer Alexander Romanov; the bout was canceled. Further, lightweight prospect Thiago Moises also tested positive for COVID-19 and was withdrawn from his fight vs. Jalin Turner; the bout was also canceled. But wait, there’s more.
Featherweights Ricky Simon and Brian Kelleher were contracted to fight, but Simon’s corner tested positive for COVID-19, and the fighter was forced to withdraw. Simon was replaced by league newcomer Kevin Natividad, who then withdrew on the day of the event for unknown reasons, and was replaced by another newcomer, Ray Rodriguez, who had weighed in as a backup on Friday. So now Kelleher fights Rodriguez.
Main Card (ESPN+)
Alistair Overeem vs. Augusto Sakai
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Alonzo Menifield
Michel Pereira vs. Zelim Imadaev
Andre Muniz vs. Bartosz Fabiński
Brian Kelleher vs. Ray Rodriguez
Viviane Araújo vs. Montana De La Rosa
Cole Smith vs. Hunter Azure
