An audible has been called in regards to the originally announced co-main event for UFC Edmonton.
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.
