Less than 24 hours before Derrick Lewis was scheduled to step into the octagon against Jhonata Diniz, he pulled out of the bout owing to medical reasons. In fact, Lewis was also not present for Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, which was quite unusual. The UFC officials insisted the fight was scheduled to take place but later was canceled. What happened?

Well, Dana White’s team has answered some questions, but major details about what really took place aren’t known. The UFC’s executive vice president and head of international and content, David Shaw, presided over the press conference in Edmonton, where he revealed:

“There’s really no update beyond what the official release was, which was a non-fight-related medical issue [and] not a weight-cut-related medical issue,” David Shaw stated in the post-fight presser. “The situation yesterday, it was all happening in real-time. So we didn’t have enough answers at the point of the ceremonial weigh-ins yesterday. He weighed in yesterday morning. He had to cut a bit, but that’s not uncommon for him.”

“In the course of the afternoon, he started to get medical treatment, and we just didn’t have any answers. So, at that point, it made [the] most sense for us to proceed with the weigh-ins and try to figure out what was going on before making any decisions. But you know, listen, there is no substitute for taking the safe road when it comes to the athlete health and safety. So it was the right decision for him to not compete,” David Shaw added during the post-fight press conference.

Exact details about the fighter’s medical issue have not been revealed. However, this marks the third time the fighter pulled out on short notice in his UFC career. Back in 2016, he was scheduled to face Fabricio Werdum, but when a back injury flared up, he had to step down. Also, in 2022, Derrick Lewis pulled out of UFC Vegas 65 where he was supposed to face Sergei Spivak. The fighter shared he tested positive for COVID.

Well, Derrick Lewis, who’s a fan favorite, was certainly missed at Edmonton, but guess what? He got an unusual tribute from one of Canada’s own UFC stars.

Derrick Lewis gets a tribute following his sudden pullout

Derrick Lewis is a finisher, who doesn’t like to let the fight go to the judges. This is visible in his 23 KO wins in MMA. But what gets more interesting is his post-fight interviews, which is something that fans always look forward to. From making people laugh to sharing funny one-liners, Lewis has certainly captivated not just the fans but also some of his colleagues. No wonder a female flyweight star decided to drop one of his most famous one-liners.

Jasmine Jasudavicius registered her third win on the trot at UFC Edmonton after finishing Ariane da Silva via submission. The fight went all the way to the final round before she could lock in a D’Arce choke to seal the victory.

When Daniel Cormier entered the Octagon for the interview, Jasudavicius dropped the line: “My b-lls was hot,” making ‘DC’ crack at the spot. A wholesome moment, to say the least.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen when the details of Derrick Lewis’s medical condition will come out to the public since ‘The Black Beast’ hasn’t really given insights into the situation. He last fought in May 2024 (UFC on ESPN 56 – Lewis vs. Nascimento), where he won via TKO.