Barcelos and Henry will still fight, but at a later date.
The bantamweight fight between Raoni Barcelos and Victor Henry has been removed from UFC Vegas 45 on Saturday night.
Nolan King of MMA Junkie reported that the removal was due to COVID-19 protocols after Henry reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. The promotional newcomer was brought in on short notice to replace Trevin Jones, who withdrew from the fight against Barcelos for undisclosed reasons.
Despite the last-minute cancellation, the pairing is expected to remain intact. Diego Ribas of Ag Fight revealed that Barcelos vs. Henry will be rescheduled for an upcoming Fight Night event currently scheduled for Jan. 15, 2022.
Barcelos was previously on a five-fight win streak under the UFC banner before losing a majority decision in a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded performance to Timur Valiev at UFC Vegas 30 this past June. The former RFA featherweight champion has now had four fights canceled in 2021 alone.
Henry scored a second-round rear-naked choke over Albert Morales at LXF 6 in his most recent appearance. The 26-fight veteran has made a name for himself on the Japanese circuit, where he has competed for a number of notable promotions such as Pancrase, DEEP and RIZIN. His long-awaited Octagon debut will have to wait until next year, though.
With Barcelos vs. Henry being removed, UFC Vegas 45 proceeds with 13 fights. The event is headlined by a heavyweight clash between ranked contenders Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus.