UFC 270 has taken another big hit.
The featured prelim between featherweights Ilia Topuria (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Charles Jourdain (12-4-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) has been scratched from UFC 270 on Saturday due to weight cutting issues on Topuria’s side.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Eurosport España. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Topuria, who was originally scheduled to face Movsar Evloev, drew Jourdain instead when a positive COVID-19 test forced Evloev out of the bout. Now it’s Topuria who has withdrawn after he was not medically cleared to compete. The unbeaten 25-year-old was looking to continue his momentum after scoring back-to-back first-round knockouts of Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall.
Jourdain was set for a quick turnaround after defeating Andre Ewell by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 199 in December. Following his win, the 26-year-old Canadian signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC.
Topuria vs. Jourdain was set to be the featured fight on the ESPN preliminary card. It is not yet known which of the three fights from the early prelims on ESPN+ will move up.
The UFC 270 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane – for heavyweight title
- Champ Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for flyweight title
- Andre Fialho vs. Michel Pereira
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann
- Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry
- Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira
- Jack Della Maddalena vs. Pete Rodriguez
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
- Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez
- Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez
- Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
