It looks like the second scheduled bout between Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon will have to wait. COVID-19 has forced Kelleher to withdraw from the January 16 bout in Abu Dhabi.
Brian Kelleher Tests Positive for COVID-19
On Friday evening, MyMMANews.com was first to report that Kelleher vs. Simon was scrapped from the card and MMAFighting.com confirmed the positive COVID-19 results.
Kelleher (22-11) fought four times in 2020, going 3-1. The lone blemish on the 34-year-old’s record in the calendar year was a decision loss to Cody Stamman. In January ‘Boom’ earned a submission victory and Performance of the Night honors against Ode Osbourne. He followed that win up with a knockout against Hunter Azure in a featherweight bout and Fight of the Night honors. After the loss to Stamman, Kelleher finished off 2020 with a submission victory and yet another Performance of the Night award against Ray Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 9.
Simon (16-3) was only able to fight once in 2020. The Oregon native picked up a split decision victory against Ray Borg in May. The 28-year-old is 4-2 since joining the UFC bantamweight division, with victories against Merab Dvalishvili, Montel Jackson, and Rani Yahya. His two defeats came against Urijah Faber and Rob Font in back to back bouts.
Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon were expected to face-off at UFC Vegas 9, however, Simon’s cornerman tested positive for COVID-19 and he was forced to withdraw from the bout.
Third times a charm for Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky Simon?
It is unclear whether the UFC is looking for a replacement to face Kelleher or if they will reschedule the bout for the third time.
UFC Fight Island 7 (UFC Fight Night 184) goes down on January 16. The main event is a featherweight bout between former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway and number six ranked featherweight Calvin Kattar.
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