Uriah Hall will no longer be fighting Jacare Souza at UFC 249, this after the former Strikeforce middleweight champion tested positive for Covid-19.
The unfortunate news broke earlier this evening as ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto reported that a member of Jacare’s family had previously tested positive for Covid-19 and he disclosed this information when checking in with the UFC on Wednesday. Jacare was then administered the test and proceed to isolate. This evening the test results came back positive and he was pulled from the UFC 249 fight card.
While the announced was obviously disappointing for Uriah Hall, the middleweight standout was nothing but class when reacting to the news.
@JacareMMA Brother I know it sucks I’m sorry you have to go through this I am beyond devastated for the missed opportunity I wish you nothing but recovery for you and your family.
advertisement – continue reading below— U R I A H H A L L (@UriahHallMMA) May 9, 2020
“Jacare Souza, Brother I know it sucks I’m sorry you have to go through this I am beyond devastated for the missed opportunity I wish you nothing but recovery for you and your family.”
While UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has offered to step up on short notice to replace Souza against Hall tomorrow evening, it seems highly unlikely that the bout will be made.
Uriah Hall (15-9 MMA) was looking to build on the momentum of his current two-fight win streak, where he has scored victories over Bevon Lewis and Antonio Carlos Junior respectively.
Despite Jacare Souza and two of his cornermen testing positive for Covid-19, the promotion will proceed with tomorrow night’s planned UFC 249 pay-per-view event.
The UFC released the following statement on the Uriah Hall vs. Jacare Souza fight cancellation.
“From their arrival earlier in the week until their departure today, Souza and his cornermen followed UFC health and safety protocols, including practicing social distancing, wearing personal protective equipment and self isolating whenever possible. There have been no other positive COVID-19 tests reported from the remaining athletes participating at UFC 249. The response to this development is indicative of the effectiveness of the health and safety measures the UFC has put in place for this event.”
Tomorrow’s fight card is headlined by a interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson.
Who would you like to see Uriah Hall fight next following the cancellation of his UFC 249 bout with Jacare Souza? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on May 8, 2020