MMA WeeklyUFC middleweights swap opponents after Kevin Holland tests positive for COVID-19
The UFC round robin continued on Saturday after Kevin Holland tested positive for COVID-19. The dominoes began falling on Friday when Curtis Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. That nixed his UFC Vegas 15 headlining heavyweight bout opposite Derrick Lewis on Saturday. The second domino fell on Saturday when Kevin Holland, who was set to headline UFC Vegas 16 next week, also tested positive for COVID-19. He was quickly replaced by Marvin Vettori, who steps into the UFC Vegas 16 main event opposite Jack Hermansson. By the time the UFC was ready to confirm that Vettori had stepped in for Holland, they already had Holland rebooked. In what becomes a swap of middleweight opponents, Holland has already agreed to face Vettori's UFC 256 opponent Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at the Dec. 12 pay-per-view event. That's a fairly quick turnaround after having just tested positive for COVID-19. The assumption would be that Holland is asymptomatic and otherwise healthy. If that is so, he should have just enough time to try and get clear of COVID-19, but of course he will have to undergo multiple tests again prior to stepping into the Octagon with Jacare. TRENDING > Dana White supports bigger fines for missing weight, considering Women’s Atomweight division Trending Video > Dana White explains why Michael Chandler isn’t fighting Tony Ferguson (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
MMA WeeklyUFC Vegas 16 undergoes main event change after Kevin Holland tests positive for COVID-19
Twenty-four hours after Saturday's UFC Vegas 15 underwent a last-minute main event change, next week's UFC Vegas 16 headliner has morphed to a new match-up as well. UFC Vegas 16 was scheduled to feature a middleweight main event between Jack Hermansson and Kevin Holland. Holland, however, was removed from the bout on Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19. He has since been replaced by Marvin Vettori, according to a report by ESPN's Brett Okamoto. Vettori had been slated to face Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, but he'll instead face Hermansson in the Dec. 5 UFC Vegas 16 main event. It's unclear what officials will do with Jacare. UFC Vegas 15 main event canceled just prior to weigh-ins The change marks the second main event shake-up in just 24 hours. Saturday's UFC Vegas 15 main event heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis was nixed on Friday. Just before the UFC Vegas 15 weigh-in got underway, it was revealed that Blaydes had tested positive for COVID-19 and removed from the fight card. UFC officials are hoping to rebook the bout in the near future. The initial target was UFC 256 on Dec. 12, but sources indicate that date isn't likely. There are better odds that Blaydes vs. Lewis will be rescheduled for a January fight card. TRENDING > Dana White supports bigger fines for missing weight, considering Women’s Atomweight division Trending Video > Dana White freaks out over Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. rules (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)
Yahoo SportsUFC's Ashlee Evans-Smith rebels against notion that journalists aren't tough
While she hasn’t made her mark in the business yet, she is hosting a successful podcast while still competing that is keeping her close to her roots.
