It seems that UFC 265 has lost one of its marquee attractions, just just over a week out from the event. Featherweight and bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing her out of her bout with Julianna Peña.
Nunes was expected to defend her bantamweight title against Peña in the co-main event of UFC 265, on August 7th. This card is set to take place in Texas, and would mark the fifth defense of her 135lb crown.
Unfortunately according to reports, the champ-champ is out of this contest due to testing positive for COVID-19. It is expected that she will be rescheduled to fight Peña at a later date, once she heals up from this, although a timeline for that has not yet been specified.
UFC 265 Without Amanda Nunes
While Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña was the co-main event, fans of the Lioness were excited to see her back in action. Having her removed from the card was certainly a blow to an event that still has a lot to offer.
The main event of UFC 265 will see interim gold on the line, as Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane face off to see who will take on heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou. However top to bottom, this card has something for everyone.
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Here is the updated UFC 265 fight card, with Nunes vs Peña removed:
Main Card (PPV, 10pm EST/7pm PST)
- Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane (interim heavyweight title fight)
- Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz
- Michael Chiesa vs Vicente Luque
- Song Yadong vs Casey Kenney
Prelims (ESPN/ESPN+, 8pm EST/5pm PST)
- Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill
- Bobby Green vs Rafael Fiziev
- Alonzo Menifield vs Ed Herman
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Jessica Penne
Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass, 6pm EST/3pm PST)
- Manel Kape vs Ode’ Osbourne
- Miles Johns vs Anderson Dos Santos
- Victoria Leonardo vs Melissa Gatto
- Vince Morales vs Drako Rodriguez
- Johnny Munoz vs Jamey Simmons
While it is clearly disappointing that Amanda Nunes is off of UFC 265, this event is still jam packed full of exciting fights. It all goes down August 7th, in Houston, Texas.
