An audible has been called in regards to the originally announced
co-main event for UFC Edmonton.
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Last week, the promotion revealed that a heavyweight clash pitting
Derrick
Lewis against Alexander
Romanov would serve as the co-main event for
UFC Fight Night 246 on Nov. 2. Lewis and Romanov will still
compete on the card — now they will just square off against
different opponents. Lewis will face Jhonata
Diniz in the new co-main event, while Romanov will lock horns
with Rodrigo
Nascimento. Laerte Viana was first to report the new bookings, and they were later confirmed
by MMAjunkie.com.
UFC Fight Night 246 takes place at Rogers Place in Edmonton,
Canada, and is headlined by a women’s flyweight scrap between
Erin
Blanchfield and Rose
Namajunas.
Diniz is 2-0 in the Octagon after earning a contract on Dana
White’s Contender Series in September 2023. After scoring a
second-round KO of Austen Lane
in his promotional debut, the Brazilian took a unanimous verdict
over Karl
Williams at UFC on ESPN 61 in his most recent outing on Aug.
10.
Lewis, the UFC’s all-time knockout leader with 15, has won two of
his last three promotional outings. Most recently, “The Black
Beast” scored a third-round TKO of Nascimento in the UFC on ESPN 56
headliner on May 11.
Romanov began his professional career with 16 straight wins, a run
that included five straight triumphs in UFC competition. “King
Kong” has fallen on hard times recently, losing three of his last
four. In his last outing, Romanov suffered a first-round submission
loss to Jailton
Almeida at UFC 302.
Prior to falling against Lewis, Nascimento had compiled a
three-fight winning streak in UFC competition. The Brazilian is 4-2
with one no contest since joining the promotion in 2020.