COVID Strikes Again

So much for that home base “bubble.”

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was forced to cancel yet another mixed martial arts (MMA) fight ahead of its UFC 256 pay-per-view (PPV) event, scheduled for this Sat. night (Dec. 12, 2020) inside APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

That’s because “Contender Series” standout Jared Vanderaa recently tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from his Serghei Spivac heavyweight matchup, slotted for the ESPN+ “Prelims” card this weekend in “Sin City.”

MMA Junkie brought word of the change on Thursday.

Earlier this week, coronavirus knocked out Angela Hill and Karl Roberson, as well as Dwight Grant and now Vanderaa. Hill was replaced by Sam Hughes but the other bouts are expected to be rescheduled for a later date, presumably in Abu Dhabi.

Just a reminder: We still have to get through weigh ins tomorrow, so there’s a chance things could go from bad to worse. Until then, check out the revised UFC 256 fight card and lineup right here.