Now that’s a bummer. The main event of UFC 251 between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns is off now. The challenger, Gilbert Burns and his cornermen have tested positive for COVID-19.
UFC 251 is a monumental fight card for different reasons. UFC has booked an island to hold its events during the pandemic, a time where all other sports are struggling. And probably that’s why Dana White built an exciting PPV for fight island that included three title fights.
Unfortunately, one half of the main event will not be able to make it to fight the island. As reported by MMA Junkie, the fight is to be rescheduled and UFC will not be looking for a substitute.
Kamaru Usman shares intense training footage ahead of UFC 251
After the dominant win over Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns emerged as a serious threat to the welterweight throne of Kamaru Usman. Burns had the momentum in his side with some huge wins in the division. And he seemed like the guy to give the most trouble to Kamaru Usman. However, Burns will have to wait a little longer to get his shot at the title.
Is Jorge Masvidal vs Kamaru Usman next?
Now there are some lucrative options for UFC still keep the main event intact. And Jorge Masvidal is one of those options. After all, he was the guy who was supposed to fight Kamaru Usman before he was replaced with Gilbert Burns.
Now there are some glaring issues between UFC and Jorge Masvidal when it comes to negotiations. But the fans would surely hope the differences between Masvidal and White can be kept apart to give an exciting main event to UFC 251.
Besides Jorge Masvidal, former interim champion, Colby Covington seems another worthy contender for the replacement of Gilbert Burns. Covington fought Kamaru Usman back in December at UFC 245. And he came very close to dethrone Kamaru Usman.
The rivalry between Usman and Covington makes this matchup even more compelling. Colby Covington has accepted short notice fights before such as the fight against Robbie Lawler. However, one will certainly be at a huge disadvantage to go against Usman without a proper training camp.
However, we just witnessed Justin Gaethje annihilating Tony Ferguson on short notice to win the lightweight interim title. So accepting a short notice fight against Usman might be a tricky call for Colby Covington.