Former UFC welterweight title contender Jake Shields reacted on social media after COVID-19 led to several Fight Island bouts being scrapped.
Numerous bouts set to take place this month have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the most prominent being the scheduled UFC 251 main event between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. After Burns tested positive on Friday, the UFC worked hard all weekend to book a replacement fight with Jorge Masvidal.
However, not everyone has been so lucky about finding replacement opponents after their fights fell apart due to COVID-19. Bantamweight contender Frankie Edgar, for instance, is still waiting to see if the UFC can find someone to replace Pedro Munhoz, who fell off the card after testing positive. There are a few other fights featuring lesser-known fighters that have also fallen apart, and we will likely see more positive tests in the next few weeks.
After American Top Team coach Mike Brown was unable to travel to Abu Dhabi, we are now hearing reports that Din Thomas has experienced the same fate.
Hearing the news of these fights falling off and coaches being separated from their fighters led to Shields, the long-time Strikeforce and UFC fighter, taking to social media to give his take on the coronavirus pandemic and the handling of it. Here’s what Shields wrote on Twitter.
Four fighters and four corner men pulled for COVID-19 yet they all felt good enough to fight or corner. Maybe it’s time for healthy people to stop being scared of This virus https://t.co/K4FXLOfIhP
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) July 8, 2020
“Four fighters and four corner men pulled for COVID-19 yet they all felt good enough to fight or corner,” Shields wrote. “Maybe it’s time for healthy people to stop being scared of This virus.”
Shields is certainly not the only person to feel this way, as there are millions of people around the world who believe the coronavirus is overblown despite the statistics painting a much darker picture. But there’s no doubt that regardless of how you feel about its severity that is affecting the sporting world, and MMA has been hit hard by it.
Do you agree with Jake Shields?