Dana White: Amanda Nunes was cleared to fight, ‘said she doesn’t feel good’
According to UFC president Dana White, doctors cleared women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes to compete at UFC 213 on Saturday night.
Amanda Nunes is no longer defending her title at UFC 213 on Saturday night as planned, but not on the doctors’ advice, according to UFC president Dana White.
White told Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire that the UFC women’s bantamweight champion was cleared by doctors to compete in the pay-per-view main event against Valentina Shevchenko despite being hospitalized due to illness. However, Nunes herself said she didn’t feel fit to fight, and the Shevchenko rematch has since been scrapped.
Told by @danawhite that "the doctor cleared her to fight...she said she doesn't feel good. It is what it is. You can't make anyone fight."
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) July 8, 2017
Shevchenko still wants to fight, and strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk has offered to step up, but that bout won’t happen on less than one day’s notice, per Nevada State Athletic Commission director Bob Bennett. It seems likely Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 will be re-booked for a later date.
Pugmire also got Bennett’s thoughts on the situation:
Nevada commission's Bob Bennett says @Amanda_Leoa had issues "beyond" weakness from weight cut that led to her withdrawal.
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) July 8, 2017
Bennett says those issues shouldn't prevent @Amanda_Leoa from fighting again soon.
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) July 8, 2017
UFC 213 takes place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8. In the new main event, Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker fight for the interim middleweight championship.