Emil Meek vs. Kamaru Usman is seemingly no longer at risk of being scrapped from this month’s UFC 219.
Meek on Friday posted a photo on Twitter showing off his newly acquired visa, which will grant him permission to enter the United States at the end of December. He is booked to face top welterweight Usman at the UFC’s end-of-year show.
According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, Meek has not yet gotten word whether he will remain on UFC 219, but at least it’s known that visa issues won’t rule him out of it.
“I f-cking got it!!!!! Great news for everybody not named [Kamaru Usman!]!” Meek wrote. “Christmas miracle.”
The fight was in jeopardy because it wasn’t clear whether Meek would be able to obtain a U.S. visa in time for the Dec. 30 matchup. As of this past Monday, “Valhalla” still wasn’t sure whether he would be able to secure a visa ahead of UFC 219.
“The thing is, they told me it’s either a 10-day thing or it takes six months, or anything in between it. That’s all. The UFC office just told me to have patience. … The question is not about if I’m getting it or not; it’s just when I get it, if I can get it in time,” Meek told The MMA Hour (transcript via MMAFighting.com).
Interestingly, per Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has moved on from the Meek bout.
Usman vs. Meek is still listed as part of the UFC 219 bout lineup on the UFC’s official website.
Over a month ago, Usman tweeted that Meek might not be able to make it to the fight. Unbeknownst at the time, Meek was battling visa issues, but those have, of course, since been settled.
UFC 219 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In the main event, UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg meets Holly Holm.