UFC 249 has its first fighter being removed from the card because of coronavirus.
Ronaldo “J’acare” Souza, who was supposed to face Uriah Hall, will not take part in the event after testing positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN. The card, however, will go on without him on Saturday at a fan-less VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Souza was tested after informing UFC officials on Wednesday that a member of his family had contracted the virus. The middleweight, who lives in Tampa, was asymptomatic when he arrived for the event, but was monitored until his test results came back Friday.
According to ESPN, Florida state athletic officials are allowing the card to continue as scheduled because the system worked to identify and isolate Souza.
