Philipe Lins’ run of bad luck continued with his latest booking.
During Saturday’s UFC Vegas 80 broadcast, it was announced that Lins vs. Ion Cutelaba was cancelled after originally being scheduled for the closing preliminary spot due to a Lins illness.
Since signing with the UFC in 2020, the one-time PFL heavyweight champion has been no stranger to seeing fights fall through.
Lins has withdrawn from no less than seven UFC bookings, including matchups with Ovince Saint Preux, Maxim Grishin, Azamat Murzakanov and Ben Rothwell. He later went on to re-book his fights with Saint Preux and Grishin, defeating them both.
UFC CEO Dana White said that doctors were provided to Lins to help him make it to the octagon, but it was for nought.
“He didn’t feel good,” White said at the evening’s post-fight press conference. “We sent doctors to look at him. They worked with him, they did some stuff, he said he still didn’t feel good, so the fight got pulled. We paid Cutelaba.”
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin confirmed with Cutelaba’s management that the fighter was compensated for the cancelled bout.
Given the 38-year-old Lins’ repeated withdrawals, it’s unclear where he goes from here, but he recently told MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz that he feels “very healthy” in regards to the continuation of his fighting career. According to White, at least on this night, it was Lins who made the call not to risk competing while ill.
“I think it was his decision,” White said.
