UFC Vegas 45 loses bout after replacement fighter tests for COVID-19

A bantamweight bout between Raoni Barcelos and Victor Henry has been removed from tonight’s (Sat., Dec. 18, 2021) UFC Vegas 45 card live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, after Henry tested positive for COVID-19. This is according to a recent report by MMA Junkie.

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HIGH STAKES LIGHTWEIGHT MATCHUP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to UFC APEX on Sat., Sept. 23, 2023, with a high stakes 155-pound showdown as No. 6-ranked contender, Rafael Fiziev, takes on No. 7-seeded Mateusz Gamrot. In UFC Vegas 79’s co-main event, No. 12-ranked Featherweight contender, Bryce Mitchell, steps back into the Octagon against No. 13-seeded Dan Ige.

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Henry, who was expecting to make his UFC debut this weekend, was stepping in on short notice for Trevin Jones. The former DEEP bantamweight champion was hoping to take advantage of the opportunity and build on his 21-5 professional record, but now he’ll have to look to 2022 for his UFC debut.

Barcelos, 34, will have to wait longer for his Octagon return as well. The Brazilian contender lost a decision to Timur Valiev in a Fight of the Night performance back in June. Before that, Barcelos had produced a 5-0 record as a member of the UFC roster.

After the last-second cancelation UFC Vegas 45 will now proceed as follows:

Main Card (ESPN+)
7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT

Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus
Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad
Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill
Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon
Carlos Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins

‘Prelims’ Undercard (ESPN+)
4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT

Dustin Stoltzfus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Justin Tafa vs. Harry Hunsucker
Sijara Eubanks vs. Melissa Gatto
Charles Jourdain vs. Andre Ewell
Raquel Pennington vs. Macy Chiasson
Don’Tale Mayes vs. Josh Parisian
Jordan Leavitt vs. Matt Sayles

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 45 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.