UFC 270 is now down to 11 fights.
UFC 270 has been hit with two fight cancelations.
Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes reported early Friday morning that the opener of the main card between Rodolfo Vieira and Wellington Turman had been canceled. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist was forced to withdraw because of undisclosed medical reasons. Additional reporting from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting revealed that the fight is not expected to be rescheduled anytime soon and the ‘Prodigy’ will receive his show money. Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales has now shifted to the pay-per-view portion of the card.
Vieira returned to the win column with a ‘Performance of the Night’ awarded submission of Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Vegas 31 last July. He was previously undefeated as a professional before being stunned by Anthony Hernandez at UFC 258, where he got submitted via second-round guillotine choke.
Turman snapped a two-fight losing streak with a split decision over Sam Alvey at UFC Vegas 35.
Also canceled is the featured preliminary fight between Ilia Topuria and Charles Jourdain. Gonzalo Campos of Eurosport España reported that the Georgian contender was dealing with weight-cutting issues. According to an update from Giorgi Kokiashvili of Setanta Sports Eurasia, ‘El Matador’ has received medical attention at a local hospital.
The unbeaten Topuria has won all three of his UFC fights, besting Youssef Zalal by decision and knocking out Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall in his most recent appearances. The 25-year-old was expected to face Movsar Evloev at UFC 270 in a highly anticipated clash of undefeated prospects, but that was scratched after Evloev tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, Topuria received a short-notice replacement in Jourdain, who just signed a new four-fight deal with the promotion. Jourdain was in action a little over a month ago at UFC Vegas 45, where he defeated Andre Ewell by unanimous decision.
UFC 270 moves forward with 11 fights. Francis Ngannou meets Ciryl Gane in a heavyweight title unifier for the headliner.