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Jorge Masvidal must fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 without a key cornerman in Mike Brown.
Jorge Masvidal may be cleared for UFC 251 but his coach, Mike Brown, certainly is not.
Brown tested positive for COVID-19 as part of a pre-screening before leaving the U.S. for UFC 251, according to MMA Fighting and following an initial report by Combate. Masvidal will now have to take on Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title without Brown’s presence cageside. Brown later confirmed his positive test and insisted he was “all good.”
The former “Coach of the Year” recipient is the latest in a number of American Top Team members to contract the novel coronavirus. ATT bantamweight Pedro Munhoz was pulled from a high-profile fight with Frankie Edgar. Coach Gabriel Oliveira also tested positive. Gilbert Burns was initially slated to fight Usman at UFC 251 before contracting COVID-19. Burns, Brown, Munhoz and Oliveira all reside in Florida.
UFC 251 takes place on Saturday, July 11 in Yas Island. The card is headlined by Usman vs. Masvidal and boasts to other title matches: Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2 and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo.