[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] will have to wait a little bit longer for his 29th walk to the UFC cage.
Tuesday, Brown (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) announced his removal from UFC on ESPN 31 due to COVID-19 on social media after he tested positive for the virus. Brown, 40, also revealed that he’s symptomatic. It’s unclear if his scheduled opponent [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) will remain on the card.
UFC on ESPN 31 takes place Saturday, Dec. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN/ESPN+.
“Sh*tty day today I tested positive for covid so my fight next weekend is off,” Brown wrote in a tweet.
Soon after Brown provided more details in a follow-up tweet, adding, “I was sick af over the weekend but feel better for the most part now. Lost smell today. Did a jog outside today and lungs burned some I thought maybe it was just the cold air but maybe I’m still sick. I’ll get over it quickly and go from there.”
Shitty day today I tested positive for covid so my fight next weekend is off
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) November 24, 2021
I was sick af over the weekend but feel better for the most part now. Lost smell today. Did a jog outside today and lungs burned some I thought maybe it was just the cold air but maybe I’m still sick. I’ll get over it quickly and go from there
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) November 24, 2021
Brown, 40, is one of the longest-tenured fighters on the promotion’s roster, having competed under the banner since his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale in 2007. After a rough stretch of five losses in six fights from July 2014 to December 2016, Brown hit a late career resurgence. In his most recent four fights, Brown went 3-1 including a violent knockout of Dhiego Lima in his most recent bout, which took place in June.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN 31 lineup includes:
- Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo
- Jimmy Crute vs. Jamahal Hill
- Jake Matthews vs. Jeremiah Wells
- Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Claudio Puelles
- Rafael Fiziev vs. Brad Riddell
- Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Mallory Martin
- Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis
- Bryan Barberena vs. TBA
- Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Manel Kape
- Vince Morales vs. Louis Smolka
- Clay Guida vs. Leonardo Santos
- Mickey Gall vs. Alex Morono
- Maki Pitolo vs. Dusko Todorovic
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