No more UFC pay-per-view main events for Nunes: White

Trust is a high priority with UFC president Dana White, and by pulling out of UFC 213 claiming illness in defiance of medical clearance, women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes broke it.

White learned Friday night that Nunes had fallen ill. Her abdominal cramping and sinus issues had already led her to conclude that she couldn’t fight No. 1-rated contender Valentina Shevchenko the next day.

According to three officials familiar with the situation, Nunes was asked to reconsider her withdrawal Saturday morning. Even with the doctor’s approval to fight, she didn’t budge. So late Saturday night, White revealed the repercussions of Nunes’ decision.

“I won’t do that again,” White said when asked if he’ll ever place Nunes in another pay-per-view main event.

That marks a steep fall for the Brazilian, who has a 14-4 record and won her last two main-event fights with dominant first-round stoppages of Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey.

“A lot of fighters have had times where they don’t feel right . ... I don’t know that I’ve ever had a situation like today, where she was physically capable to fight” and didn’t, White said. “It was 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical.”

Nunes’ decision is especially puzzling considering that she opted to skip a guaranteed $150,000 purse instead of risking a loss against a fighter she’d already defeated in March 2016 by unanimous decision in a non-title fight.