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ESPN app. Editor’s Note: The article has been updated at 12:45
p.m. on Feb. 25 to reflect additional information. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has lost a thriller of a matchup
days before it was set to go down.
First reported by
MMA Junkie on Thursday, William
Knight (9-1) vs. Alonzo
Menifield (9-2) at light heavyweight has been scratched from
the
UFC Fight Night 186 lineup. The Feb. 27 event saw the bout fall
through when Menifield tested positive for COVID-19, and the news
has since been confirmed by
other outlets. The promotion intends on rebooking the match at
an upcoming event, and not scuttling the pairing altogether. Per
MMA
Fighting shortly after the news broke, the two will instead be
squaring off at UFC 260 on March 27.
A potential slugfest will have to wait, as Knight was looking to
extend his overall win streak to four while searching for his
second inside the Octagon. Initially signed to a developmental deal
from the third season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Knight looked to
gain more experience in other organizations like CES MMA and Cage Fury Fighting Championships. Along the
way, “Knightmare” wound up losing to future UFC rostermate Tafon
Nchukwi to delay his UFC hopes. A rebounding win and another
victorious appearance on the Contender Series led to his signing in
2020, and he made good on his debut on a few weeks’ notice to hand
Aleksa
Camur his first career defeat.
When the matchup comes to fruition, fellow hard-hitting Menifield
will look to right the ship after suffering two consecutive losses
to Devin
Clark and Ovince St.
Preux in 2020. Prior to these setbacks, “Atomic” sported a
perfect 9-0 record with a 100 percent finish rate all in 5:32 or
less. His two UFC losses both went beyond that margin, including
his first-ever third round when facing Clark. This is not the first
time COVID-19 affected a bout for Menifield, as his 2020 meeting
against St. Preux was delayed when “OSP” fell victim to the
coronavirus.
UFC Fight Night 186 carries on at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb.
27, with a major heavyweight headliner pitting Jairzinho
Rozenstruik against Ciryl Gane.
The co-main event comes in the form of a potential light
heavyweight brawl as Nikita
Krylov comes to blows with Magomed
Ankalaev.
