A pair of former strawweights looking to snap demoralizing losing streaks were set to face off at UFC Vegas 58 — but the women’s flyweight fight between Cynthia Calvillo and Nina Nunes is off the card.
UFC officials confirmed the news on Saturday afternoon, hours out from the start of the event. An unspecified illness suffered by Nunes was cited as the reason for the bout being pulled.
“Due to illness, Nina Nunes has been removed from her flyweight bout with Cynthia Calvillo,” promotion officials wrote in a brief statement. “As a result, this bout has been cancelled from today’s card.”
Nunes would confirm the development on Instagram, reporting that the bout had been rescheduled.
“Hey Everyone, I had an amazing camp and the best weight cut yet. Unfortunately I picked up a stomach virus and have been sick since right after weigh ins,” Nunes wrote. “I tried as much as I could to make this better and still be able to fight. Sadly it has taken a tear on my body and I won’t be able to perform tonight. Sorry to my opponent. We are looking to reschedule the fight in the near future. Thank you.”
Once considered a contender at 115 pounds, a rough weight cut leading to kidney stones back in December had closed the door on strawweight for Nunes (10-7). The move to flyweight, meanwhile, had her looking to snap back-to-back losses, which had come against Tatiana Suarez and Mackenzie Dern.
Calvillo’s struggles with making weight at 115 had likewise been well-documented, but she had lost three straight at flyweight, leaving her in a jam. Calvillo (9-4-1) has not won a fight since a 2020 victory against the recently retired Jessica Eye. The fight marked Calvillo’s first as a flyweight in the UFC, though she competed in the weight class prior to joining the promotion.