Alexander Volkanovski reveals he has Covid-19, explains why Brian Ortega title fight at UFC 260 is off
Alexander Volkanovski has recently revealed that his latest test has come back positive for COVID-19. As a result of this recent development, the UFC featherweight champion will no longer be defending his title against Brain Ortega at UFC 260.
Alexander Volkanovski also revealed that he was 'devastated' with the test results especially after testing negative twice before. According to Volkanovski, the circumstance was just unfortunate despite them having followed all COVID-19 protocols. The UFC featherweight champion extended his gratitude to all those who supported him throughout and assured fans of bouncing back stronger.
The UFC had earlier confirmed the news during the UFC Vegas 22 broadcast, stating that the matchup would remain in place for a future date. One of Alexander Volkanovski's training partners, Brad Riddell, was earlier pulled from the UFC Vegas 22 card due to similar COVID-19 policies, though it remains unclear at the moment if the two situations are related.
Alexander Volkanovski was scheduled to co-headline UFC 260 with Brian Ortega
Alexander Volkanovski's title defense against Brian Ortega was to serve as the co-main event at UFC 260 which will be headlined by the heavyweight title bout between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. This was supposed to be Alexander Volkanovski's second title defense after the Australian defeated Max Holloway to grab the title and then defended it in a rematch, the results of which are still debated over.
Brian Ortega earned his title shot after a dominant performance against Chan Sung Jung in October last year. This was Ortega's first appearance in the Octagon since his lone career defeat to Max Holloway at UFC 231.