Nina Ansaroff Ill, UFC 187 Strawweight Bout with Rose Namajunas Canceled

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A scheduled strawweight clash between Nina Ansaroff and Rose Namajunas has been removed from the Saturday’s UFC 187 lineup.

According to a release from the promotion, Ansaroff contracted the flu during fight week and was ruled “medically unfit to compete” by doctors. Ansaroff tipped the scales at 120 pounds -- well over the strawweight limit – at weigh-ins on Friday.

“I feel just horrible about this,” Ansaroff said in a statement released through her management. “I want to apologize to Rose, the UFC and of course to the fans who have really embraced me and looked forward to this fight.

“If it was up to me, I’d definitely fight. I was willing to fight, of course, with or without the flu because I’m a fighter. But this is out of my control and I just hope it’s rescheduled as soon as possible.”

As a result of the cancellation, the evening’s first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT instead of 6:30 ET/4:30 PT. A welterweight clash between Mike Pyle and Colby Covington has been moved from UFC Fight Pass to Fox Sports 1.

UFC 187 takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and features a pair of title bouts, as Anthony Johnson meets Daniel Cormier for light heavyweight gold, while Chris Weidman defends the middleweight strap against Vitor Belfort.

Ansaroff was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Juliana de Lima Carneiro in her UFC debut. Namajunas, meanwhile, turned heads on Season 20 of “The Ultimate Fighter” before falling to Carla Esparza in the reality show’s finale in December.