UFC 264 loses a fight hours before the event, updated card revealed

UFC 264 will be headlined by the trilogy matchup between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor
UFC 264 will be headlined by the trilogy matchup between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor

The UFC 264 fight card is now one fight short. The pay-per-view is being touted as one of the biggest combat sports events of the 2021 calendar year, but it’s now had a fight canceled due to issues related to COVID-19.

The first fight of the UFC 264 fight card – a middleweight bout between Hu Yaozong and Alen Amedovski – has been scrapped. The fight won’t take place at UFC 264, and the card will now feature only 12 fights instead of the 13 that were initially scheduled to take place.

According to ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, the fight between Yaozong and Amedovski has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols in Amedovski’s camp. UFC officials let ESPN in on this development.

The middleweight matchup was scheduled to serve as the very first fight of the UFC 264 event. The bout was set to open the early preliminary card on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

Presently, it’s unknown as to whether or not this matchup will be rescheduled for a later date.


UFC 264: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3

Hu Yaozong (left); Alen Amedovski (right)
Hu Yaozong (left); Alen Amedovski (right)

Despite losing the middleweight matchup featuring Hu Yaozong and Alen Amedovski, the UFC 264 fight card has no shortage of exciting matchups and star power.

The PPV will be headlined by the much-awaited trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier are currently 1-1 in their series of fights against each other.

The longtime rivals will face one another in a five-round lightweight bout that’ll serve as the main event of UFC 264 tonight. The winner of the fight is expected to face UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the title next.


UFC 264 fight card

Noted below is the updated UFC 264 fight card –

UFC 264 Main card

Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier (Men's lightweight) - Main Event

Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson (Men's welterweight) - Co-main Event

Tai Tuivasa vs. Greg Hardy (Men's heavyweight)

Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya (catchweight)

Sean O'Malley vs. Kris Moutinho (Men's bantamweight)

UFC 264 Preliminary card (ESPN/ESPN+)

Carlos Condit vs. Max Griffin (Men's welterweight)

Niko Price vs. Michel Pereira (Men's welterweight)

Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria (Men's featherweight)

Trevin Giles vs. Dricus Du Plessis (Men's middleweight)

UFC 264 Early preliminary card (ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)

Jennifer Maia vs. Jessica Eye (Women's flyweight)

Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares (Men's middleweight)

Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jerome Rivera (Men's flyweight)

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Edited by Harvey Leonard