Dana White addresses rise of fight-week bout cancellations due to positive COVID-19 tests

The UFC is having tough time keeping their fight cards intact in the ongoing global pandemic.

The Las-Vegas based promotion has been forced to cancel many bouts ahead of 2020 events due to the fighters or camps testing positive for COVID-19, but there has been a recent rise in the number of fights getting scrapped during fight week – and even on fight day – while the organization continues to operate under its COVID-19 protocol.

On Saturday, two fights were removed from UFC on ESPN 19 the day of the fight due to positive coronavirus tests: Montana De La Rosa vs. Taila Santos, Movsar Evloev vs. Nate Landwehr (a third fight was also removed for reasons unrelated to COVID-19).

While the fighters all passed pre-screenings, weighed-in and faced off against their opponents, UFC officials resported “positive COVID-19 tests” in the camps just hours before the event. For his part, UFC president Dana White said he believes the rise of fight-week cancellations is reflecting the increase of cases in the U.S.

“Who knows?” White asked following the event. “I have no idea; the COVID thing is more rampant now. Another friend that I talked to today, who lives on an island in Alaska, somewhere where they have a population of 4,000 people, over 40 people have COVID there now, and it’s like a huge deal.

“This stuff is definitely spreading. When we were first going through this stuff, I didn’t know anybody that had it. And then, you know, one employee came up with it and got through it quick. But personally, somebody that I was friends with hadn’t had it yet, and now everyone’s got it, you know what I mean?”

Saturday’s cancellations weren’t the only ones in recent times. At the previous week’s UFC on ESPN 18 event, heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the weigh-in. Blaydes went through early fight week and media day before having to withdraw from his main event bout against Derrick Lewis.

And like Blaydes and Saturday’s cancellations, there’s been several other fights scrapped deep into fight week sue to the UFC’s COVID-19 protocol.

White was also asked about the effectiveness of the protocol’s implementation in terms of keeping fighters COVID-free during fight week, especially in light of the recent cancellations.

“People show up with it, or I think what happened this time, somebody had had contact with somebody else and was training their fighter and then it gave it to them,” White said. “I don’t know exactly what the deal was, but – I don’t know.”