Kevin Holland defeated Charlie Ontiveros via first-round verbal submission at UFC on ESPN+ 39 on Saturday, Oct. 31. Photo courtesy of @UFCNews [Twitter].
Kevin Holland tests positive for COVID-19, out of UFC Vegas 16 main event
During this time of a global pandemic, safety is of the utmost importance. The UFC has been one staple in sports during this time, and they have been on top of both athlete and personnel safety protocols. Athletes have to go through rigorous testing before they step into the cage. It is because of this that many fights could be changed or canceled very close to the fight. The most recent fight to fall into this category is UFC Vegas 16 main event featuring Kevin Holland and Jack Hermansson. On Saturday, Holland announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19 one week out from his fight.
“I have been pulled from my main event bout next weekend due to a positive pre-fight covid test,” Holland wrote on Twitter. “ Hoping to test clean and get back inside the cage ASAP.”
Kevin Holland stepped into this bout on short notice when Hermansson’s original opponent, Darren Till was injured and removed from the event. Holland was looking to step into his fifth UFC fight this year. Holland won his first four bouts in 2020 and has gained the attention of both the fans and the UFC. With those four wins this year, have come two performance of the night bonuses. Holland was looking to hop his way into the middleweight rankings with this potential win over the number 4 ranked Hermansson.
Hermansson is now looking for his third opponent for this Dec. 5 event. According to ESPN, the front runner to step in on one week’s notice is number 13 ranked Marvin Vettori. Vettori was scheduled to face Jacare Souza at the UFC 256 event taking place on Dec.12.
UFC Vegas 16 will take place on Dec 5 live from the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, NV. The event will air on ESPN+.
