UFC Fight Night 215 headliner canceled at last minute due to undisclosed Derrick Lewis illness

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The UFC Fight Night 215 main event between Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac was canceled Saturday shortly before it was scheduled to start, officials announced.

Saturday's card had already started inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas when the event was called off.

Lewis had to withdraw due to a "non-COVID, non-weight-cutting illness," cageside commentator Brendan Fitzgerald said. 

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Derrick Lewis steps on a scale for the ceremonial weigh-in for the UFC 277 ceremonial weigh-ins July 29, 2022, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Lewis appeared relatively healthy during the week leading up to the bout. He also had a successful weigh-in Friday.

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Spivac (15-3) would have appeared in his first UFC main event. 

The heavyweight has compiled a 6-3 record inside the octagon.

Entering this week, Spivac had won five of six bouts.

Also on Saturday, Miles John suggested his coach, James Krause, was suspended.

"My coach last night at the dinner table got pulled, and they said the UFC was suspending him," Johns said in a post-match interview. 

Derrick Lewis, left, and Serghei Spivac face off for the first time ahead of their UFC Vegas 62 bout Nov. 18, 2022, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. (Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Johns' coach is former UFC fighter James Krause, who once claimed that he makes "more money on gambling on MMA" than anything else.

The health of UFC fighters was highlighted recently when the death of former UFC star Anthony Johnson was announced Sunday. The 38-year-old had been ill for more than a year, a Bellator MMA spokesperson told The Associated Press.

Opponents Derrick Lewis, left, and Serghei Spivac of Moldova face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX Nov. 18, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

As a result of the cancellation, the light heavyweight co-main event between Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ion Cutelaba was elevated to the main event and will remain three rounds, according to officials. 

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If Lewis had been able to go, it would have marked his third appearance of the year. He suffered knockout losses in his last two fights.