White informed FoxSports.com on Friday that the Melendez vs. Nurmagomedov fight was “not happening.” The UFC is currently working to line up a different opponent for the undefeated Russian.
No reason for the Melendez vs. Nurmagomedov fight being scrapped has been given.
The Melendez vs. Nurmagomedov bout had initially been confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by several company officials and was included on the UFC 170 fight poster revealing the Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann main event, but won’t take place as planned.
UFC 170 is headlined by the Rousey vs. McMann UFC women’s bantamweight championship. The co-main event features the light heavyweight debut of Daniel Cormier, as he squares up with former champion Rashad Evans.