Longtime UFC welterweight veteran Matt Brown has been forced to pull out of his upcoming UFC Vegas 44 bout with Bryan Barberena.

Brown revealed on his social media on Tuesday that he tested positive for COVID-19 and his fight against Barberena, which was set to take place at UFC Vegas 44, has been scratched. The event is set to take place on December 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event features bantamweight contenders Rob Font and Jose Aldo.

Shitty day today I tested positive for covid so my fight next weekend is off

— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) November 24, 2021

Sh*tty day today I tested positive for covid so my fight next weekend is off

Brown vs. Barberena was set to be a fun fight that would have easily been in contention to win “Fight of the Night” at the end of the night. Both Brown and Barberena are two veterans of the sport who have no problem standing and trading for the fans, so this would have been a good one had it gone down. Both fighters are also very good in the clinch, which would have made it a very intriguing fight had the two been pressed against the fence. It’s unfortunate the fight is canceled, but Brown isn’t able to go since he is sick.

Ideally, the UFC would be able to re-book this fight for a card before the end of the year, but that seems unlikely as all the UFC’s cards are fully booked to close out 2021. At this point, the best-case scenario would be if the UFC was able to get Barberena a short-notice opponent for this card to keep him busy, and then re-book the Brown fight for early 2022.

We here at BJPenn.com hope the best for Matt Brown as he recovers from his illness, and hope “The Immortal” is able to step into the Octagon and fight again for the fans soon.