At UFC on ESPN+ 34, there will be no preliminary card.
Heavyweights Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Alexander Romanov are the latest fighters to have their bout canceled in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Saturday, the UFC announced the news less than 90 minutes before the event’s new start time of 7 p.m. E.T. The card will now proceed with a seven-fight main card and no prelims.
Combate was the first to report the news.
Thiago Moises vs. Jalin Turner was also canceled Saturday due to coronavirus concerns, shortly after Kevin Natividad was removed from his featherweight fight against Brian Kelleher.
The promotion’s announcement statement reads:
“Due to positive COVID-19 test results, the following bouts have been canceled from today’s card: Alexandr Romanov vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima and Thiago Moses vs Jalin Turner.
Additionally, as a precaution, Kevin Natividad has been removed from his bout against Brian Kelleher and will be replaced by Dana White Contender’s Series alum Ray Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who appeared on the show last season, has won 11 of his last 13 bouts.”
The current UFC on ESPN+ 34 lineup includes:
- Alistair Overeem vs. Augusto Sakai
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Ovince Saint Preux
- Zelim Imadaev vs. Michel Pereira
- Brian Kelleher vs. Ray Rodriguez
- Viviane Araujo vs. Montana De La Rosa
- Bartosz Fabinski vs. Andre Muniz
- Hunter Azure vs. Cole Smith
