Ramiz Brahimaj won’t be making his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 12 on Saturday due to one of his cornermen testing positive for COVID-19.
Brahimaj (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a Fortis MMA prospect, was scheduled to take on Takashi Sato on the prelims. However, late Thursday evening, the UFC announced Brahimaj’s removal from the card and that he will be replaced by promotional newcomer Jason Witt (pending medical clearance).
“Due to a positive COVID-19 test result from one of his cornermen, Ramiz Brahimaj has been removed from his bout against Takashi Sato.
“Replacing Brahimaj will be UFC newcomer Jason Witt, pending medical clearance including a COVID-19 test. As a result, the commission has agreed to weigh in Witt separately and he will not participate in tomorrow’s official weigh-ins and faceoffs.”
UFC on ESPN 12 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Witt (17-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a member of Missouri powerhouse gym Glory MMA and Fitness, training under James Krause. Since March 2013, Witt has only lost one fight, winning nine-of-10 in that stretch.
Sato (15-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) signed with the UFC in early 2019. After defeating Ben Saunders by knockout in his promotional debut, Sato lost by third-round submission to Belal Muhammad at UFC 242 in September.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN 12 lineup includes:
The latest UFC on ESPN 12 lineup includes:
- Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker
- Mickey Gall vs. Mike Perry
- Brendan Allen vs. Kyle Daukaus
- Maurice Greene vs. Gian Villante
- Julian Erosa vs. Sean Woodson
- Luis Pena vs. Khama Worthy
- Tanner Boser vs. Philipe Lins
- Takashi Sato vs. Jason Witt
- Jordan Griffin vs. Youssef Zalal
- Kay Hansen vs. Jinh Yu Frey
UFC
Cornerman's positive COVID-19 test forces Ramiz Brahimaj out of UFC on ESPN 12, Jason Witt steps in
