One of the major fears surrounding UFC 249 has become a reality. A fighter on the card has tested positive for coronavirus.
Ronaldo Souza, who was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall in a middleweight bout, is the fighter to test positive for COVID-19. While that fight has been pulled, the UFC 249 will proceed.
MMA Junkie verified the news with a UFC official following an initial report from ESPN.com on Friday night. Hunter Campbell, excecutive vice president and chief business officer of UFC, told ESPN that the promotion has received clearance from the Florida State Athletic Commission to move forward with the event, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
According to ESPN’s report, Souza informed UFC officials that a family member had tested positive for coronavirus when he arrived in Jacksonville on Wednesday. He was tested and isolated before the positive test came back.
Both Souza (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Hall (15-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC) made weight Friday morning, but both men wore masks. Souza wore gloves in addition to a mask. They faced off standing several feet farther apart than any of the other fighters on the card.
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