Per sources, Saturday’s fight between Rick
Glenn and Carlton Minus is off.No official reasons yet, but word is that Rick Glenn tested
positive for COVID—19.I’m hearing, though, that the UFC is looking for a late
replacement.
#UFCVegas17
— Al Zullino (@phre)
December 16, 2020
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Editor’s note: This article has been updated at 11:30
p.m. ET on Dec. 17 to reflect additional information about the
matchup.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship is making a quick switch ahead
of its year-end card.
BJPenn.com
first broke the story on Wednesday night that Rick Glenn
was out of his
UFC Fight Night 183 matchup against Carlton
Minus (10-2, 1 NC). Multiple outlets have since confirmed
Glenn’s withdrawal, which came from a positive COVID-19 test. In
his place, according to
BJPenn.com on Thursday, will be lightweight Christos
Giagos (17-8). Due to the short-notice nature of this bout,
Giagos will be facing Minus at a 160-pound catchweight, according
to an
official statement from the UFC on Thursday night.
“The Spartan” will make his first walk to the Octagon since August
2019, when he dropped a decision to Drakkar
Klose. Giagos was scheduled earlier in the year against
Alan
Patrick, but the coronavirus scuttled the April fight card
after he withdrew. On his second stint with the promotion, Giagos
has won two and lost two, with his return to the UFC a submission
defeat against Charles
Oliveira. Giagos then rattled off two decisions over Mizuto
Hirota and Damir
Hadzovic before encountered Klose last year. The California
native has gone the distance in seven of his last eight bouts.
Minus will be looking to earn his first win inside the Octagon when
he faces Giagos. His organizational debut in August was an
unsuccessful one, as Matthew
Semelsberger overwhelmed him to win a decision. A product of
Alaskan events, a then-undefeated Minus took his first trip to the
major stage when he appeared in the 2018 season of Professional Fighters League. Minus suffered
his first career loss at the hands of Rick Story,
as “The Horror” put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke. Following
that loss, Minus beat Schon Ellis
in February to earn a spot with the UFC.
UFC Fight Night 183 goes down on Dec. 19 at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas to end the year for the UFC. Headlining the ESPN+ event is a
welterweight thriller between Stephen
Thompson and Geoff Neal.
The co-main attraction comes in the form of a bantamweight battle
between Jose Aldo and
Marlon
Vera, while another main card tilt in Kalinn
Williams vs. Michel
Pereira at welterweight precedes that.
