No. 7 ranked heavyweight Derrick Lewis was scheduled to faces No. 12 ranked Sergey Spivak in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 65 fight card. The match was cancelled during the event’s preliminary card action after Lewis was transported to the hospital due to illness.
Lewis forced out of the bout for “non-COVID, non-weight cutting illness,” said announcer Brendan Fitzgerald during the broadcast on ESPN+.
With the removal of Lewis from the fight card, the originally scheduled co-main event between light heavyweights Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ion Cutelaba was moved to the main event slot.
Lewis (26-10, 1 NC) was hoping to stop a two-fight losing streak and maintain his Top 10 ranking. Spivak (15-3) was looking to extend his two-fight winning streak and jump up in the rankings. It’s unclear whether the matchup will be rebooked at a later event.
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UFC Vegas 65 main event cancelled, Derrick Lewis hospitalized