UFC Vegas 9: Kevin Natividad replaced in place of Ricky Simon to face Brian Kelleher

UFC featherweight fighter Brian Kelleher was scheduled to face Ricky Simon at this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 9. But one of Simon’s cornerman has tested positive for the COVID-19 and as a result, Simon has been pulled out of the card.

Simon himself announced the news on his Twitter handle.

However, the pulling out of fighters from cards is a weekly occurrence now because of COVID-19 complications. It has happened several times in the past when the pulled out fighters have been replaced on short notice by fighters from Contender Series and regional circuit.

Kelleher vs. Brian

Now, Kelleher has been booked against a UFC newbie in the form of Kevin ‘Quicksand’ Natividad. Natividad has been with LFA and has a record of 9-1. He is currently on a five fight winning streak. He has won last tims over Kyle Estrada at LFA via TKO in July.

On the other hand, Kelleher currently has a record of 21-11. He has lost his last fight against Cody Stamann via unanimous decision at UFC 250. This was his lost after a back-to-back stoppage victories over Hunter Azure and Ode Osbourne.

The UFC Vegas 9 will be featuring a heavyweight bout on the main event between Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai. Another intriguing bout on the card is between Ovince Saint Preux and Alonzo Menifield.

This card was to feature a fight between Nicco Montano and Julia Avila, but that was cancelled after Montano tested positive for COVID-19.

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