Brian Ortega releases a statement following his fight cancellation at UFC 260.
Brian Ortega has wished Alexander Volkanovski a speedy recovery following his medical withdrawal from UFC 260.
‘T-City’ was scheduled to challenge ‘The Great’ for the featherweight title in the UFC 260 co-main event but the latter was forced to pull out of the matchup after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.
Volkanovski is understandably devastated with the news, but Ortega has released a statement on social media assuring Alex that the matchup will be rescheduled in no time (h/t BJPenn.com).
“So you guys all heard, I don’t have to tell you anymore. But, Volkanovski tested positive for Covid. He’s done everything right. We’ve done everything right. I know you (Alex Volkanovski) would have taken the fight, even with Covid. That’s the type of human you are. I respect that. I hope you get better. I hope you heal up fast and we’ll postpone it and we will just reschedule it to when we’ve got to. Stay sharp. We’re staying sharp and whenever this sh*t is meant to happen it will happen,” Ortega said.
There’s no word on whether the UFC is considering a replacement for Ortega but it’s unlikely the 30-year-old will accept a fight on short notice without the featherweight title up for grabs.
UFC 260, which features a heavyweight title bout between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou in the main event, takes places on March 27 at the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas.