A featherweight title fight rematch featuring former champ Max Holloway taking on Alex Volkanovski is the new main event of UFC 251.
Next weekend’s UFC 251 pay-per-view event on Fight Island was originally slated to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between challenger Gilbert Burns and champion Kamaru Usman.
Unfortunately for fight fans, Burns tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this afternoon and was thus forced off of the blockbuster fight card.
Despite short-notice offerings from fellow welterweight standouts Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, the UFC has opted to postpone Burns vs. Usman, this while promoting Max Holloway vs. Alex Volkanovski to event headliner status.
That news come from MMAJunkie’s John Morgan, who reported the following on Twitter.
“Potential medical issue has been identified in the Kamaru Usman – Gilbert Burns matchup, and neither fighter is boarding the plane to Abu Dhabi tonight for UFC 251. Current plan per sources is to reschedule fight for a late date.”
Just spoke with new #UFC251 headliner Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) to get his immediate reaction: “Nothing changes. I feel like we were already the main event.” https://t.co/MGZFwDbVl8
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) July 4, 2020
John Morgan then spoke with former featherweight champion Max Holloway to get his reaction to his rematch with Alex Volkanovski being promoted to the UFC 251 main event.
“Just spoke with new UFC 251 headliner Max Holloway to get his immediate reaction: ‘Nothing changes. I feel like we were already the main event.’”
Holloway (21-5 MMA) and Volkanovski originally met at December’s UFC 245 event in Las Vegas, with the Australian emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision.
The loss served as Holloway’s second in his past three fights, as he had previously suffered defeat at the hands of Dustin Poirier in his bid for the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 236.
As for Alex Volkanovski, his latest title-earning victory over ‘Blessed’ served as his eighteenth win in a row, which includes eight straight wins under the UFC banner.
A vacant men’s bantamweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Petr Yan will now serve as the co-headliner of UFC 251.
What do you think of Max Holloway vs. Alex Volkanovski 2 being promoted to main event status for next weekend’s pay-per-view fight card? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!