The fight that was on, then off UFC 250 is back on again. Thursday, it was reported that one of Ian Heinisch’s corners for the event had tested positive for COVID-19. Under the watchful eye of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the UFC has ramped up safety protocols for its events in Las Vegas. Ergo, Heinisch was removed from the card for precautionary reasons.
However, per a report by MMA Fighting, the bout is back on. Subsequent testing has shown the initial positive for COVID-19 was false, meaning Heinisch will now fight Gerald Meerschaert on Saturday as planned.
The middleweight pairing is part of the UFC 250 preliminary card, which will air live on TSN.
Thus far, the only fighter to be pulled from a UFC card as a result of the virus is Jacare Souza. His bout with Uriah Hall was scrapped ahead of UFC 249 after Souza and two of his corners tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus.
A silver lining coming out of the on-again, off-again situation is that Anthony Ivy, a regional veteran who stepped up on short notice to face Meerschaert, will remain on the UFC roster. He’ll likely be looking at a date and opponent a little bit later this year. Giving him far more time to ready himself for his octagon debut.
Ivy had been linked to this year’s Contender Series. Weigh-ins for UFC 250 will take place Friday at noon eastern time.
