Barely a week after it was first announced by the promotion, the UFC Edmonton co-main event between Derrick Lewis and Alexander Romanov is no more.
Despite that, both fighters are expected to remain on the card.
The rather unique situation arose on Tuesday, with a report by Laerte Viana revealing that Lewis will now face Jhonata Diniz. MMA Junkie would later reveal that Romanov will stay on the Edmonton card, taking on Brazil’s Rodrigo Nascimento.
Lewis (28-12, 1NC), the UFC’s KO King, enters the fight at 2-1 in his last three and coming off a win over Nascimento. For Diniz (8-0), it’s a big step up in competition for the former kickboxer, who remains undefeated in MMA following a unanimous decision victory against Karl Williams earlier this month.
While experience in MMA might seem a little lopsided, factoring in a few dozen kickboxing fights, things get a little more interesting in Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz.
As for Nascimento (11-2, 1NC), who now steps in to face Romanov, he has not competed since his loss to Lewis in May. Prior to falling to “The Black Beast,” he’d been riding a three-fight win streak. Romanov (17-3) enters off a loss to Jailton Almeida for his part.
Lewis is ranked #11, Romanov #12, and Nascimento #15 in the promotion’s heavyweight division. Jhonata Diniz is not ranked.
UFC Edmonton takes place at the Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB on November 2, 2024. The card is headlined by Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas, with the following match-ups reported:
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas
- Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson
- Marc-André Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
- Ariane Lipski vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
- Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic
- Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro
- Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz
- Alexander Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
