MMA WeeklyUFC Vegas 15 weigh-in results: Curtis Blaydes tests positive for COVID-19, fight canceled; one fighter misses weight
The UFC Vegas 15 fight card underwent a massive change just as Friday's weigh-in was about to get underway. Minutes before the fighters began stepping on the scale, news broke that Curtis Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As a results, Blaydes's heavyweight main event opposite fellow contender Derrick Lewis was removed from the fight card. UFC officials hope to reschedule the bout for Dec. 12, a move that would bolster the UFC 256 fight card that has been ravaged by championship fighters dropping out. New UFC Vegas 15 main event: Anthony Smith vs. Devin Clark With Blaydes vs. Lewis being nixed, the UFC announced that the UFC Vegas 15 co-main event light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Devin Clark had been elevated to headlining status. Along with the move to the UFC Vegas 15 main event, Smith and Clark agreed to increase their bout from three rounds to five rounds on just 24 hours notice. UFC Vegas 15 prelim fighter misses the mark The lone fighter to miss the mark for Saturday's event at the UFC Apex was Norma Dumont. She weighed in at 139.5 pounds for her bantamweight bout with Ashlee Evans-Smith, who weighed 135.5 pounds. Having missed weight by 3.5 pounds, Dumont was fined 30-percent of her fight purse, which goes to Evans-Smith, to keep the fight intact. As a result, UFC Vegas 15 moves forward with a 10-bout fight card. TRENDING > Should Khamzat Chimaev be a ranked UFC Welterweight? UFC Vegas 15: Smith vs. Clark weigh-in results UFC Vegas 15 Main Card Main Event: Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis -- CANCELEDCo-Main Event: Anthony Smith (205) vs Devin Clark (204.5)Josh Parisian (265.5) vs Parker Porter (263)Miguel Baeza (171) vs Takashi Sato (170)Spike Carlyle (145.5) vs Bill Algeo (146)Ashlee Evans-Smith (135.5) vs Norma Dumont (139.5)*Jonathan Pearce (145.5) vs Kai Kamaka (145) UFC Vegas 15 Preliminary Card Martin Day (135.5) vs Anderson dos Santos (135)Gina Mazany (125.5) vs Rachael Ostovich (125.5)Sumudaerji (126) vs Malcolm Gordon (126)Luke Sanders (140) vs Nate Maness (139.5) *Norma Dumon missed weight by 3.5 pounds Trending Video > Dana White would support heftier fines for UFC fighters that miss weight (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyCOVID-19 cancels UFC Vegas 15 main event
Saturday's UFC Vegas 15 heavyweight headliner between top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick was canceled on the morning of Friday's weigh-in. Just as the UFC Vegas 15 weigh-in was about to get underway, news broke that Blaydes had tested positive for COVID-19. The news was first reported by UFC broadcast partner ESPN. UFC officials hope to quickly reschedule the bout for December, but it obviously had to be removed from the UFC Vegas 15 fight card slated for Nov. 28 at the Apex. The co-main event light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Devin Clark is expected to take headlining status with the removal of Blaydes vs. Lewis. Could Blaydes vs. Lewis bolster a depleted UFC 256 fight card? If moved to December, the bout could potentially help to bolster the Dec. 12 UFC 256 fight card. UFC 256 was originally slated to feature three championship bouts, but all three were lost to various concerns. Currently, UFC 256 features a quick return by UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and challenger Brandon Moreno. Figueiredo made the first defense of his belt at UFC 255 with a first-round submission of Alex Perez. On the same fight card, Moreno also stopped his opponent, Brandon Royval, in the first round of their featured preliminary bout. If Blaydes vs. Lewis could be rebooked for Dec. 12, it would add some needed firepower to the UFC 256 fight card. TRENDING > Mike Tyson tells UFC’s Joe Rogan he’s fighting Roy Jones Jr. because of Bob Sapp Trending Video > Dana White explains why Michael Chandler isn’t fighting Tony Ferguson (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyDana White supports bigger fines for missing weight, considering Women’s Atomweight division
UFC president Dana White, at the UFC 255 post-fight press conference, responded to the possibility of adding a women’s atomweight (105-pound) division and says he would support bigger fines for fighters who miss weight. TRENDING > Khabib Nurmagomedov teases meeting with Dana White; does retirement decision loom? (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
