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. The best-laid plans of mice and the
Ultimate Fighting Championship often go awry when the
coronavirus is involved. Late Friday night,
MMA Junkie reported that Gilbert
Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and has been forced out of
his welterweight title fight with Kamaru
Usman at UFC
251. The two were originally scheduled to headline the
pay-per-view and first event on “Fight Island,” which will be
located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Usman
will not be receiving a short-notice replacement opponent, and the
promotion currently plans to reschedule the bout for a later
date.
In addition to Burns, his brother Herbert
Burns and coach Greg Jones also tested positive for the virus.
The UFC set up a series of screening protocols, where fighters take
tests for COVID-19 prior to flying to the hub city to gather for
overseas travel. Once together – Las Vegas is one of a few cities
the company is using – the fighters would fly as a group to the UAE
via chartered planes. The organization stopped both Burns and Usman
from getting on the flight in Las Vegas.
This news might not come as a shock to all involved, as one of
Burns’ key training partners, One
Championship two-division champ Aung La N
Sang, tested
positive for COVID-19 this week. Burns was looking to capture
his first major title on the heels of a six-fight win streak with
dominant victories over Demian Maia
and Tyron
Woodley in the last four months. In this last win, over former
titleholder Woodley, Burns won by 50-44 scores on two of the three
scorecards.
Usman will have to wait a little longer to defend his belt for the
second time. His first defense came against Colby
Covington at UFC 245, where he finished his polarizing opponent
in the fifth round. Usman captured the title in March 2019 over the
aforementioned Woodley, and like Burns, Usman also earned two 50-44
scores from the judges in that bout. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has
won 15 consecutive bouts dating back to his defeat in 2013 against
Jose
Caceres, including 11 inside the Octagon.
UFC 251 will now be headlined by a featherweight championship
rematch between Alexander
Volkanovski and Max
Holloway. Moving up to the co-main event is vacant bantamweight
title fight between Petr Yan and
Jose
Aldo.