Mike Grundy Out, Nik Lentz Now Moves to UFC 257 to Face Movsar Evloev

Nik Lentz’s next UFC bout will come one week later than he initially anticipated.

After original UFC on ABC 1 foe Mike Grundy revealed that someone on his team tested positive for COVID-19, Lentz has been relocated to UFC 257 against Movsar Evloev. MMA DNA was first to report the change to the featherweight bout. UFC 257 takes place on Jan. 23 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

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— Mike Grundy (@MGWRESTLING) January 10, 2021

Lentz is looking rebound after falling to Charles Oliveira and Arnold Allen in his last two Octagon appearances. The Sanford MMA product’s UFC tenure began in 2009 and includes wins over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Diego Nunes, Danny Castillo, Will Brooks and Gray Maynard.

Coincidentally, Evloev is coming off a three-round verdict over Grundy at UFC on ESPN 14 in July that improved his career mark to 13-0. The Russian was supposed to return on Dec. 5 against Nate Landwehr but that bout was canceled after Evloev tested positive for COVID-19.