UFC cancels Vegas 15 main event; Curtis Blaydes tests positive for Covid-19
The UFC Vegas 15 main event showdown between heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis is now scrapped after Curtis Blaydes reportedly tested positive for COVID 19.
Journalist Ariel Helwani tweeted a short while ago that Blaydes, who was on a four-fight win streak, has tested positive for the disease and hence the main event is now canceled.
“Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis – tomorrow night’s UFC main event has been canceled per multiple sources. Blaydes has tested positive for COVID.
The promotion is hoping to reschedule the fight in December, sources say, though that is not a done deal yet,” tweeted Helwani.
In the light of the latest development, the light heavyweight encounter between Anthony Smith and Devin Clark will serve as the new main event for the evening.
It will be a big to Lewis, who is also on a three-fight winning streak following a set of back-to-back losses that started with a submission setback to Daniel Cormier in a heavyweight title fight in November 2018. In August, he knocked out Aleksei Oleinik in the main event of UFC Vegas 6.
UFC Vegas 15 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis was expected to have major title ramifications
While it is widely speculated that Francis Ngannou is next in line to get another shot at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, Curtis Blaydes is currently No. 2 in the rankings.
Blaydes is 8-1 in his last 9 UFC outings with Nagannou being the only loss in these 9 fights.
Derrick Lewis is ranked at No. 4 as well and it was rumored that the winner of their fight will get a shot at the victor of an eventual Miocic vs Ngannou encounter.
While fight fans would have loved to see a replacement being announced it was highly unlikely for someone to take the fight on 24 hours notice.
Additionally, the implications on the title picture made the promotion postpone the fight and scrap the main event all together.