Deiveson Figueiredo Positive For COVID-19, Joseph Benavidez Fight In Jeopardy

Deiveson Figueiredo has tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of his fight against Joseph Benavidez on July 18. Figueiredo beat Benavidez inside two rounds when they fought back in February. However, in the lead up to the fight, the Brazilian missed weight meaning he was unable to claim the flyweight belt which still remains vacant.

According to Combate Figueiredo could again miss out on the title because of a positive COVID-19 test. Per the report he had the virus back in May, so will undergo more testing to determine if the initial result is a false positive.

If the second test comes back positive Figueiredo will unfortunately be pulled from the fight. Alexandre Pantoja is currently serving as back-up for the flyweight title bout. He will step in against Benavidez should Figueiredo be unable to compete. Pantoja is currently scheduled to face Askar Askarov on the July 18 card. He will also step into the title fight should Figueiredo or Benavidez miss weight.

Figueiredo’s manager in Wallid Ismail spoke to BJPENN.com to say he believes the result was a false positive and his fighter will be heading to Abu Dhabi sooner rather than later, he said.

“Not true, he was positive for the virus two months ago. He can not still have the virus activity right now in the body. Something is wrong. [The test result] will come Sunday then he will then fly to Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening. This is a false positive.”

Figueiredo is riding an impressive three-fight win streak. Prior to his controversial KO win over Benavidez, picked up big wins over former title challenger Tim Elliott and Pantoja.

Benavidez was on a three-fight win streak of his own before falling short against Figueiredo earlier this year. He scored TKO wins over Jussier Formiga and Alex Perez. Benavidez also picked up a decision win against Dustin Ortiz.

Do you think Deiveson Figueiredo will be able to compete on July 18?