Nunes, the bantamweight champion, was due to defend her title for the second time.
LAS VEGAS – The main event for UFC 213 between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko was scrapped just hours before it was due to start on Saturday after Nunes was taken to hospital with an undisclosed illness.
Nunes, the bantamweight champion, was due to defend her title for the second time, having won it against Miesha Tate in July 2016 then defeated Ronda Rousey inside 48 seconds in December.
UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com and USA TODAY Sports that the fight was off.
Planned co-headliner between Yoel Romero (12-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and Robert Whittaker (18-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) , who fight for the interim middleweight belt, have been elevated to the main event.
The saga was a bitter blow to the UFC, which saw its big summer Las Vegas showcase disrupted for the second straight year. Twelve months earlier UFC 200’s main event disintegrated when Jon Jones was popped for taking a banned substances two days before he was due to meet Daniel Cormier.
MORE UFC:
Nunes took part in a public workout on Wednesday and met with the news media for nearly an hour on Thursday. She arrived later than Shevchenko to the weigh-in on Friday morning, appeared to have been sweating and breathed a sigh of apparent relief after tipping the scales exactly on the 135 lb bantamweight limit.
However, Nunes was given medical clearance to fight Saturday, although she said she was not up to it, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they had not been authorized to publicly speak about the matter.
The Brazilian had emerged as one of the most recognizable figures in the organization after becoming the UFC’s first openly gay champion and had stated she was aiming for a long title reign. She told USA TODAY Sports ahead of the fight about her plans to try for a baby through artificial insemination with partner Nina Ansaroff, also a fighter in the UFC’s strawweight division.
The cancellation means that the interim middleweight title contest between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker will be elevated to main event status.
GALLERY: The Day in Sports
