The coronavirus hits before the bell once again, as another main event has been canceled after Kevin Holland tested positive for the virus.
Jack Hermansson’s UFC on ESPN 19 opponent is beginning to look an awful lot like musical chairs. He was originally set to take on Darren Till at the event, but Till was forced to withdraw due to injury. Enter Kevin Holland, who was prepared to seize the biggest opportunity of his career by stepping in on short notice to fight the #4-ranked middleweight in the world. Unfortunately, ESPN has revealed that Kevin Holland will also have to pull out of the contest after testing positive for COVID-19. The ESPN report also states that Marvin Vettori is being considered as a short-notice replacement, but no deal has been signed yet.
Kevin Holland was looking to end the year with a 5-0 record and finalize a very strong case for Fighter of the Year. Unfortunately, as the entire world has come to understand for the better part of 2020, the coronavirus has no regard for any of our plans. Holland looked great in his last fight, where he defeated Charlie Ontiveros via vicious slam. Jack Hermansson also impressed in his most recent outing, earning a 1st-round submission victory over Kelvin Gastelum in July. The fight would have made for an intriguing scrap to kick off the final month of the year, but it was not to be.
As of now, the updated UFC on ESPN 19 lineup is as follows:
Jack Hermansson vs. TBD
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Jamahal Hill
Merab Dvalishvili vs. TBD
Montana de la Rosa vs. Talia Santos
Jose Quinonez vs. Louis Smolka
Movsar Evloev vs. Nate Landwehr
Gian Villante vs. Jake Collier
Jimmy Flick vs. Cody Durden
John Allan Arte vs. Roman Dolidze
Jordan Leavitt vs. Matt Wiman
Damon Jackson vs. Ilia Topuria
Gabriel Benitez vs. Justin Jaynes
