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#2. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega (UFC 260)
The featherweight title clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega was expected to take place at UFC 260 in March. Roughly a week before the PPV, the UFC announced that the fight has been removed from the stacked card due to Volkanovski testing positive for Covid-19.
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When the Australian successfully recovered from the virus, he recalled coughing blood during UFC 260 fight week.
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"We realized my lungs are hurting a little bit, hurting to breath. We started wanting to pay attention to things when I started coughing up phlegm, pinky, like little bits of blood," Volkanovski told ESPN.
Below is Volkanovski's full interview with ESPN
The UFC later announced that Volkanovski and Ortega would be the two new coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 29. They are scheduled to fight for the featherweight championship later this year at UFC 266 on September 25.
#1. Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev (UFC Fight Island 8, UFC Vegas 21)
The Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight has been canceled on a total of three occasions, twice alone in 2021. The welterweight pair were first expected to trade hands in December 2020 at UFC Vegas 17 , but 'Rocky' was forced to pull out of the fight owing to a positive Covid-19 test.
The fight was rescheduled for UFC Fight Island 8. However, this time around, it was Chimaev who contracted the virus.
Considering fans' excitement about the highly-anticipated fight, the UFC once again booked the bout for UFC Vegas 21. Unfortunately, Chimaev withdrew from the clash due to "lingering COVID-19 symptoms."
Fans later dubbed the encounter "cursed" and compared it to Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight with Tony Ferguson, which was canceled five times.
Since then, Edwards has already fought Belal Muhammad and Nate Diaz, while Chimaev is yet to step into the octagon. He is expected to return against rising welterweight Li Jiangliang later this year at UFC 267.
