UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes withdrew Saturday morning from her scheduled UFC 213 main-event title defense, claiming she was too ill while leaving top-rated opponent Valentina Shevchenko greatly dismayed.
UFC President Dana White told The Times in a text message that Brazil’s Nunes pulled out after being cleared to fight by a doctor during a brief hospitalization.
“I’m very upset. I couldn’t believe it [went] to the very last moment, and I’m upset all the fans around the world who were expecting and waiting for this fight,” Shevchenko said as the card began without her at T-Mobile Arena.
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In the new main event, Robert Whittaker became the interim middleweight champion by edging Cuba’s top-rated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision, 48-47 on all three scorecards.
But it was the absence of Nunes-Shevchenko that dominated the night.
“I woke up, was preparing for my fight, feeling this nervousness inside me … I heard then this fight won’t happen and I was like … ,” Shevchenko said as her shoulders slumped. “[Nunes] wanted to cut the weight in very short time and to have this advantage during the week, but it won’t work like this. Our bodies need time to recover.”
Bob Bennett, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said it was the toll of the weight cut along with another unspecified health issue — one fight official not authorized to speak publicly about the situation identified it as “abdominal” — that led to Nunes telling the UFC she was not ready to defend her belt for the second time.
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Nunes tweeted as the new main event arrived, “Sorry to all my true fans. The fight will be rescheduled and I will be back 100%.”
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Yoel Romero knees Robert Whittaker in their interim UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 213 event at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday in Las Vegas.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Yoel Romero, right, takes down Robert Whittaker in a middleweight championship bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Yoel Romero, right, fights Robert Whittaker in a middleweight championship bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press )
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Robert Whittaker kicks Yoel Romero during a middleweight championship bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Fabricio Werdum lands a kick against Alistair Overeem during their heavyweight fight at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Alistair Overeem, left, grapples with Fabricio Werdum during their heavyweightbout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Alistair Overeem, right, strikes Fabricio Werdum during their heavyweight bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Daniel Omielanczuk, left, and Curtis Blaydes trade punches during their heavyweight fight at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Daniel Omielanczuk, right, lands an overhand right against Curtis Blaydes during their heavyweight bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Jim Miller, left, and Anthony Pettis grapple during their lightweight bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Jim Miller and Anthony Pettis trade blows during their ightweight bout at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Anthony Pettis kicks Jim Miller during their lightweight fight at UFC 213.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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Douglas Silva de Andrade lands a punch against Rob Font during their fight at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Travis Browne and OleksiyOliynyk trade blows during their heavyweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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OleksiyOliynyk reacts after defeating Travis Browne in their heavyweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Thiago Santos sends Gerald Meerschaert reeling with an overhand left during their middleweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Gerald Meerschaert takes down Thiago Santos during their middleweight fight at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Thiago Santos works from the top position against Gerald Meerschaert during their middleweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Thiago Santos celebrates after his victory over Gerald Meerschaert in their middleweight fight at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Terrion Ware, right, covers up as Cody Stamann strikes with a left during their fight at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Terrion Ware, right, goes on the offensive against Cody Stamann during their fight at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Trevin Giles lands a left against James Bochnovic during their UFC 213 bout.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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James Bochnovic is carried out of the cage on a stretcher after his bout against Trevin Giles at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Brian Camozzi, left, and Chad Laprise trade punches during their welterweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Chad Laprise lands a right against Brian Camozzi during their welterweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Belal Muhammad strikes Jordan Mein with an overhand right during their welterweight bout at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
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Belal Muhammad enters the octagon before facing Jordan Mein in their welterweight fight at UFC 213.
(Rey Del Rio / Getty Images)
Nunes had stopped former champions Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey in the first round of each of her last two fights. Nunes (14-4) defeated Shevchenko by unanimous decision in March 2016, but Saturday’s fight was listed as a pick ’em by Nevada oddsmakers.
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“The doctor cleared her to fight. She said she doesn’t feel good,” White said as Nunes’ withdrawal came. “It is what it is. You can’t make anyone fight.”
Nunes’ decision caused Shevchenko to fume as she expressed interest in fighting Nunes again at UFC 215 in on Sept. 9.
In the meantime, White said women’s unbeaten strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk was “begging me for the fight.” Bennett said the “health and safety” of Jedrzejczyk was too risky to allow her to take the fight because she was not licensed and lacked medical screening, including a pregnancy test that requires 72 hours to process.
Whittaker’s triumph positions him to next fight champ Michael Bisping of England. Earlier Saturday, heavyweight Alistair Over-eem edged No. 1-rated former champion Fabricio Werdum by majority decision, 28-28, 29-28, 29-28.
