LAS VEGAS — The UFC has lost the opening fight on perhaps its biggest pay-per-view event of the year.

A middleweight fight between Hu Yaozong and Alen Amedovski was canceled Saturday afternoon due to COVID-19 protocol issues in Amedovski’s camp, UFC officials told Crumpa. The UFC 264 card, which takes place Saturday here at T-Mobile Arena, will go on with 12 fights.

UFC 264 is headlined by the trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Hu (3-2), a 26-year-old prospect from China, would have been looking for his first UFC win in three tries. The 33-year-old Amedovski (8-2) is also 0-2 in the UFC following two first-round knockouts in Bellator.