Gregor
Gillespie’s Octagon return will have to wait until another
day.
The
UFC on ESPN 21 co-main event pitting Gillespie against Brad
Riddell has been pulled from the card due to “COVID-19
protocols,” the promotion announced Saturday. The lightweight bout
will be rescheduled at a later date. As a result, UFC on ESPN 21
will proceed with 10 fights.
UFC on ESPN 21 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is
headlined by a middleweight clash between Kevin
Holland and Derek
Brunson. The prelims stream on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 7:30
p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, while the main card begins on ESPN and ESPN+
at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
An NCAA national champion wrestler and four-time All American at
Edinboro University, Gillespie kicked off his MMA tenure with 13
consecutive triumphs – including six wins in UFC competition. He
suffered his first defeat in November 2019, falling to Kevin Lee via
head-kick KO at UFC 244. Gillespie has not fought since then.
Anchored at City Kickboxing, Riddell earned triumphs over Jamie
Mullarkey, Magomed
Mustafaev and Alex
da Silva Coelho in his first three UFC outings. The 29-year-old
Auckland, New Zealand, native is 9-1 as a professional overall.