After a crazy year of UFC fights, the news was announced early Tuesday morning, the scheduled bout between Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima is off. It was first announced on the athlete’s social media account.
Woke up yesterday feeling like crap got tested and i was positive for covid sucks but I’ll be back
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 15, 2020
The featured welterweight bout between Belal Muhammad and Dhiego Lima on the UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal card was confirmed to be removed by MMAFighting.com. Despite the cancellation, the Fight Night Card will stream from the UFC Apex and start on ESPN+ at 6 PM ET.
Belal Muhammad vs Dheigo Lima OFF
Before the unfortunate news broke, “Remember the Name” put together three impressive victories against tough opponents. Despite a mishap with his opponent and Covid-19 earlier this year, the devout Muslim fighter dominated a decision against Lyman Good in late June. With the intention of gaining more momentum off his three-fight winning streak, Muhammad will now have to wait on the sidelines.
Conversely, Lima is also on a three-fight win streak. After earning wins over tough outs like Court McGee and Luke Jumeau, these two athletes were on a collision course. Apart from Muhammad’s mishap, a litany of cancellations has left Lima on the sidelines too. For instance, earlier this year the Brazilian was set to face Alex Morono but was forced out due to injury.
With the removal of Belal Muhammad and Dhiego Lima here is the list of scheduled fights for UFC Vegas 17:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 PM ET)
- Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal
- Jose Aldo vs. Marlon Vera
- Michel Pereira vs. Khaos Williams
- Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraesv
- Greg Hardy vs. Marcin Tybura
- Gillian Robertson vs. Taila Santos
- Alex Morono vs. Anthony Pettis
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 PM ET)
- Sijara Eubanks vs. Pannie Kianzad
- Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Karl Roberson
- Antonio Arroyo vs. Deron Winn
- Drako Rodriguez vs. Aiemann Zahabi
- Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
- Cody Durden vs. Jimmy Flick
- Rick Glenn vs. Carlton Minus