Joanna Jedrzejczyk begs — unsuccessfully — to replace Amanda Nunes against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 213

Once news broke that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was out of her UFC 213 main event fight against Valentina Shevchenko due to a fight day illness, it didn’t take long for another familiar name to ask for her spot.

That name? Reigning strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

“I just got a phone call from (UFC president) Dana (White), and of course I’m not in shape to fight 100 percent, but I’m going to be honest with you, I said to UFC and Dana, if they want me, if they need me today, I’ll step into the Octagon today, tonight,” Jedrzejczyk said on Instagram live. “I respect Valentina and I feel sorry for her. Of course, Amanda is sick. It sucks. Sh*t happens sometimes.”

Jedrzejczyk followed up by posting another video Saturday morning to her Instagram requesting that White and the UFC “make this fight happen.”

“Come on, Dana. Come on, UFC,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Make it happen. Talk to the commission. Let’s have the medicals done. This is your city. Come on, Dana, make it happen. I’m in shape.”

Nunes withdrew from her scheduled rematch against Shevchenko just hours before UFC 213 was slated to go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nunes fell ill Saturday morning and was transported to a local hospital, leading to the fight’s cancellation.

Ironically, Jedrzejczyk and Shevchenko share quite a history, despite the two women competing in MMA divisions 20 pounds apart. Prior to their MMA days, Jedrzejczyk and Shevchenko fought three times under Muay Thai rules, with Shevchenko defeating Jedrzejczyk in all three contests.

Shevchenko posted on social media that she’d like to fight Jedrzejczyk for the 125-pound title — Saturday night.

If the two ever meet again, though, it won’t be at UFC 213. As expected, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Bob Bennett told MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi on Saturday afternoon that the last-second nature of Nunes’ dropout would preclude any other fighter from taking Nunes place atop the UFC 213 bill.

Instead, the interim UFC middleweight title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker has been elevated into UFC 213’s main event. The card will continue as presently constituted with 11 fights.