The UFC has signed a backup fighter for Saturday’s card.
Ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 34, the promotion has inked bantamweight [autotag]Ray Rodriguez[/autotag], who will serve as a standby replacement should [autotag]Kevin Natividad[/autotag] or [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] be deemed unfit to compete.
Rodriguez (16-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was signed due to concerns over fight week COVID-19 tests taken by Natividad (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), multiple sources have informed MMA Junkie.
Natividad partook in Thursday’s UFC on ESPN+ 34 virtual media day from his hotel room instead of the multi-purpose room from where the rest of the fighters streamed. He asked about why he was in his room and said he was waiting for his COVID-19 test results.
However, Friday, Natividad weighed in with the rest of the fighters, making weight, which implies he’s in the clear. Rodriguez also weighed in and was announced as a backup fighter.
As for Rodriguez, the Texas-based fighter will make his promotional debut on a little over 48 hours’ notice. He competed at DWCS in 2019, losing to current UFC fighter Tony Gravely in a back-and-forth affair. Rodriguez, 32, has won 11 out of 13 entering Saturday.
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UFC on ESPN+ 34 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.
The current UFC on ESPN+ 34 lineup includes:
- Alistair Overeem vs. Augusto Sakai
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Ovince Saint Preux
- Sijara Eubanks vs. Karol Rosa
- Zelim Imadaev vs. Michel Pereira
- Brian Kelleher vs. Kevin Natividad
- Thiago Moises vs. Jalin Turner
- Viviane Araujo vs. Montana De La Rosa
- Bartosz Fabinski vs. Andre Muniz
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Alexander Romanov
- Hunter Azure vs. Cole Smith
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