UFC 266 looks a little different midway through fight week.
On Wednesday, the promotion announced that [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] has been removed from his middleweight bout due to illness. In his place, Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] steps in to meet Nick Maximov.
The women’s flyweight bout between [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] and [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] was scrapped from UFC 266 due to COVID-19 protocols. As MMA Junkie previously reported, Fiorot (who is asymptomatic) and her team tested positive for the virus.
The UFC also confirmed that the rematch between [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] will be contested at middleweight instead of welterweight as originally agreed upon after Diaz asked for the change. Earlier Wednesday, Lawler indicated he had agreed to the last-minute change.
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With the changes, here’s the updated UFC 266 lineup:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
- Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for women’s flyweight title
- Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Dan Hooker
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chris Daukaus
- Roxanne Modafferi vs. Taila Santos
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
- Cody Brundage vs. Nick Maximov
- Martin Sano vs. Matthew Semelsberger
- Omar Morales vs. Jonathan Pearce
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