Rafael Fiziev out of UFC 272 with COVID

It wasn’t that long ago that it felt like the UFC 272 had got a serious boost of top tier entertainment with the addition…

By: Zane Simon | 1 year ago
Rafael Fiziev out of UFC 272 with COVID
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

It wasn’t that long ago that it felt like the UFC 272 had got a serious boost of top tier entertainment with the addition of a lightweight action bout between former champion Rafael Dos Anjos and rising contender Rafael Fiziev. The fight, originally scheduled for UFC Vegas 48 on February 19th, had to be moved back two weeks due to Fiziev’s reported struggles attaining a US visa.

Unfortunately, it seems Fiziev has hit another snag in his prep for UFC 272. Following reports from Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, ‘Ataman’ took to Twitter to confirm that he’s contracted COVID-19.

From Fiziev’s Tweets, it would appear he got sick only after arriving in the US. Hopefully, he can recover soon and make a quick return to the Octagon. No word yet as to whether the UFC will be seeking a replacement to face Dos Anjos on this weekend’s card, although Renato Moicano has reportedly offered to step in for the short-notice booking.

At the moment, UFC 272 is set to feature a welterweight grudge match main event between Jorge Masvidal and former friend & training partner Colby Covington. A featherweight fight between Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell is also set for the PPV portion of the card, alongside the welterweight debut of Kevin Holland against Alex Oliveira. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more fight week news and notes.

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About the author
Zane Simon
Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.

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