Two-division champion Amanda Nunes has tested positive for Covid-19 and as such is now out of her UFC 265 title clash with Julianna Pena at UFC 265 on August 7th in Houston, Texas.
UFC Officials have confirmed the news and indicated that they hope to reschedule the fight for a later date.
Nunes had been set to drop back down to defend her bantamweight title after a two-fight run at featherweight, which saw her make successful defences of her 145lb belt against Felicia Spencer and Megan Anderson.
Now she’ll look to add to her tally of defenses at 135lbs, where she’s already racked up four, beating the likes of Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko (twice) and Holly Holm.
As for Pena, the former TUF winner’s recent record is actually a little patchy, having gone 2-2 in her last four Octagon outings, but she’s 6-2 overall in the UFC to date and is coming off a submission win over Sara McMann early in the year.
With Nunes vs. Pena scratched from the card, UFC 265 now proceeds with the previous heavyweight co-main event interim title fight between Derrick Lewis and Cyril Gane now topping the bill in Houston, while a bantamweight bout between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz will now take the No.2 spot on the line-up.