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After rushing to be the first nationally televised sport in the U.S. to make it back on TV this weekend, UFC officials found its prized UFC 249 card scheduled for Saturday, May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida, in peril late Friday night after it was revealed that one of its fighters tested positive for COVID-19.
Ronaldo “J’acare” Souza was scheduled to face Uriah Hall at UFC 249 this weekend, but the 40-year-old tested positive for coronavirus per ESPN:
Souza arrived in Jacksonville on Wednesday and informed UFC officials that a family member had tested positive. Souza was asymptomatic, but was isolated and tested, and Friday the test came back positive.
According to that same report, Souza was removed from the fight card.
However, despite the card being jeopardized for a short period, UFC 249 is still going to go on as planned per Hunter Campbell, EVP and Chief Business Officer of UFC.
In short, Campbell revealed to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that UFC officials conferred with Florida athletic commission officials about whether UFC 249 could still go on as planned and that it was ultimately determined the rest of fights could go on as scheduled “because the system worked”.
Presumedly, that means the strict procedures that were in place for UFC 249 kept other fighters and workers from being exposed to the virus.
So while Souza won’t be able to fight this weekend after testing positive for COVID-19, the rest of the card does remain intact after the big scare.
In fact, per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, none of the 23 other fighters on the card tested positive.
The other 23 fighters on the UFC 249 card tested negative for COVID-19, per sources.
Jacare has left the hotel, per sources.
More Details Emerge About Souza’s Positive Test
ESPN’s Smith revealed more details about Souza testing positive for COVID-19 during Friday night’s “SportsCenter”.
During that appearance, Smith noted both Souza and Hall wore masks during the weigh-in and face-off. That information (and assumedly other details about the UFC’s protocols) was provided to the Florida State Athletic Commission, who Smith said was “satisfied” enough that the rest of the card could move on as planned.
You can watch the full video segment below.
UFC 249 takes place Saturday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. The event will air live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
The main event features Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for the UFC’s interim lightweight title. The co-main event features UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo taking on former division kingpin Dominick Cruz.
UFC 249’s main card PPV begins at 10 p.m. ET with preliminaries beginning at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
It’s supposed to be stacked night of UFC action, but now Souza’s name will be scratched off the list of competitors.
Still, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto revealed the company administered 1,200 tests on 300 people, so it wasn’t completely unexpected that someone might test positive.
Briefly spoke to Dana White (@danawhite), he said UFC administered 1,200 tests on 300 people this week, it’s not unexpected someone would test positive, shows the system is doing what it’s supposed to do. Jacare will get medical attention. May 9, May 13, May 16 all still on.
Souza’s 2 Cornermen Also Tested Positive
According to the UFC’s official statement about the matter, Souza’s two cornermen also tested positive for COVID-19. Like Souza, the two cornermen were also asymptomatic and did not exhibit the common symptoms of COVID-19.
Per that statement, “From their arrival earlier in the week until their departure today, Souza and his cornermen followed UFC health and safety protocols, including practicing social distancing, wearing personnel protective equipment, and self-isolating whenever possible.”
Additionally, the company touted its response to Souza’s positive test as “indicative of the effectiveness of the health and safety measures” in place at UFC 249.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson