Two Positive COVID-19 Tests Force Changes To July 15 Card
Two fighters expected to compete on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi later this month have tested positive for the COVID-19 and therefore won’t be able to fight.
Brazilian bantamweight Anderson dos Santos was the first fighter to test positive for COVID-19 according to MMA Fighting. Like every Brazilian fighter competing on July 11 and July 15 ‘Fight Island’ cards, he had been quarantined at a hotel in Sao Paulo since Wednesday.
Dos Santos and his coach Marcos “Babuino test positive upon arrival at the hotel and were notified yesterday evening. The 34-year-old was expected to face Welsh fighter Jack Shore on July 15. Right now, it remains unclear if Shore will also be pulled from the card or if the UFC will be able to find him an alternative opponent.
Another Brazilian fighter currently on lockdown in Sao Paulo has also tested positive for COVID-19 according to another report from MMA Fighting. UFC light-heavyweight Vinicius Moreira was also scheduled to fight on July 15. He was set to face former Cage Warrior light-heavyweight champion Modestas Bukauskas in his UFC debut before the Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 and scuppered those plans.
Moreira would’ve entered the fight on the back of three consecutive losses to face one of the best prospects in Europe. Bukauskas has won six straight including three knockout wins in 2019.
Who should replace the two fighters who have tested positive for COVID-19?
