UFC will return to action on Saturday night for the first of several events at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, and while UFC is going to great lengths to isolate fighters and try to keep everyone healthy, one UFC 249 bout has already been cancelled after a fighter tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.
Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza’s fight against Uriah Hall has been called off after Souza, who is asymptomatic, and his two cornermen, all tested positive for COVID-19. It remains to be seen if other fighters or team members will test positive, but UFC is moving forward with 249 without Souza on the card. According to Dana White, everything is under control.
Via ESPN:
“We administered 1,200 tests this week, on 300 people,” UFC president Dana White said. “It’s not unexpected one person would test positive. The system works. And what’s good about this is now we know Jacare tested positive, he’s doing what he needs to do, and we’re in a position to help him if he needs it.”
UFC 249 will begin at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ pay-per-view. To watch the event, you’ll need to be an ESPN+ subscriber and purchase the PPV, which costs $64.99. Here’s the full card for Saturday’s show.
Main card (ESPN+, 10:00 p.m. ET):
Lightweight interim title: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
Bantamweight title: Henry Cejudo (c) vs. Dominick Cruz
Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Heavyweight: Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
Prelim card (ESPN, 8:00 p.m. ET):
Welterweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone
Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum
Women’s strawweight: Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson
Welterweight: Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
Early prelims (Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET):
Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa
Light Heavyweight: Ryan Spann vs. Sam Alvey
You can read more about UFC 249 at MMA Junkie.
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