UFC

Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz

Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz at UFC 257

Leave a Comment / January 24, 2021

Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz

UFC 257 NIK LENTZ VS MOVSAR EVLOEV LIVE STREAM

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COVID-19 has forced Mike Grundy out of his fight with Nik Lentz. In his place, Movsar Evloev will now face the ‘Carny’.
JANUARY 23, 2021 YAS ISLAND, ABU DHABI MAIN CARD (ESPN+ PPV AT 10 P.M. ET); PRELIMS (ESPN/ESPN+ AT 8 P.M. ET); EARLY PRELIMS (ESPN+ AT 6:15 P.M. ET)

  • With Mike Grundy out Saturday, Nik Lentz moves to UFC 257 vs. Movsar Evloev
  • Nik Lentz is in Abu Dhabi and was all set for a fight this week.

Now his plans have changed, and he won’t have to wait too long. Lentz (30-11-2 MMA, 14-8-1 MMA) was supposed to take on Mike Grundy (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ABC 1. But Sunday, Grundy posted online that a member of his team tested positive for COVID-19, which will keep him from competing on the card.

Instead, Lentz will miss Saturday’s event and fight a week later at UFC 257 against new opponent Movsar Evloev (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC). MMA Junkie confirmed the new matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking following an initial report from MMADNA.com.

UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23 at Etihad Arena at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Lentz will be looking to snap a two-fight skid. In May 2019, he lost a second-round TKO in a rematch againnt Charles Oliveira. In January 2020, he dropped a decision to Arnold Allen. In that fight, Lentz took an eye poke and ultimately had to have a complicated surgery that could have left him worse off than when he started. But now he’s ready to return.

Evloev fought just once in 2020 and stayed unbeaten with a unanimous decision against Grundy in July. He was supposed to meet Nate Landwehr this past December, but tested positive for COVID-19 and went on the shelf. Now he’ll try to stay perfect against Lentz with a short-notice assignment.

Grundy was set to try to get back in the win column after his loss to Evloev until the positive test took him out of the fight. In a Twitter post, Grundy said the “devastating news” has him down for now, but plans to “run through the featherweight division” when he returns.

A positive COVID-19 test in Mike Grundy’s camp has forced him out of UFC 257, and his original opponent Nik Lentz will now fight Movsar Evloev.

MMA DNA first reported the change in opponent for the event. Grundy revealed on social media this past Sunday that a member of his team had tested positive for COVID-19.

Lentz (30-11-2, 1 NC) hasn’t fought since last January, losing a unanimous decision to Arnold Allen. The UFC veteran Lentz hasn’t won a fight at featherweight since May 2014.

The undefeated Evloev (13-0) last fought when the promotion first visited Fight Island in July of last year, defeating Grundy by decision. A positive COVID-19 test forced Evloev out of a fight at UFC Vegas 16 this past December.

UFC 257 takes place on January 23rd at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The event will be headlined by a rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

With the addition, the UFC 257 lineup now includes:

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree
Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez
Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
Sergey Morozov vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan
Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez
Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz

Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov

UFC 257| Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov Live Stream, Date Time & Location

Leave a Comment / January 24, 2021

UFC 257 AMIR ALBAZI VS ZHALGAS ZHUMAGULOV

JANUARY 23, 2021 YAS ISLAND, ABU DHABI MAIN CARD (ESPN+ PPV AT 10 P.M. ET); PRELIMS (ESPN/ESPN+ AT 8 P.M. ET); EARLY PRELIMS (ESPN+ AT 6:15 P.M. ET)

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Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov pulled from UFC on ESPN 18 lineup
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 lineup has lost one of the bouts scheduled for its main card, as Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov has been removed from the lineup.

A passport issue has prevented Zhumagulov (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) from facing Albazi (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a flyweight bout at the upcoming event, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout is expected to be postponed to a later date.

MMA Junkie verified the fight scratch with a person close to the situation who wished to remaining anonymous. Russian news outlet TASS first shared the news, reporting that Zhumagulov’s U.S. visa was approved, but he did not receive his passport in time to compete at UFC on ESPN 18.

UFC Vegas 15’s main card is currently down to five bouts after the loss of a flyweight fight between Amir Albazi and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Tass reporter Igor Lazorin first reported the bout’s cancellation on Saturday’s fight card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, and multiple people with knowledge of the news confirmed to MMA Fighting that the fight is likely to be moved to a yet-undetermined UFC card in the future.

It’s unclear the time of this writing whether the UFC will bump up a preliminary-card fight to the main card, or keep the current lineup.

Albazi is four months removed from a successful octagon debut at UFC Fight Island 2, where he submitted Malcom Gordon to extend his current winning streak to two bouts. Albazi’s lone professional loss is at the hands of UFC vet Jose Torres.


Zhumagulov make his octagon debut at UFC 251 in July, but was on the opposite end of the win column when he was outpointed by Raulian Paiva. The setback snapped a four-fight winning streak for the fighter from Kazakhstan.