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UFC President Dana White is keen to re-book the Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega fight as soon as possible.
It was reported last week that the featherweight championship bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega, slated for UFC 260, had to be called off, as the champion tested positive for COVID-19.
In an interview with Aaron Bronsteter from TSN, White has said that the promotion is eagerly looking forward to bringing the featherweight title fight to fruition after Alexander Volkanovski recovers from his COVID-19 infection.
"Did we schedule that?", said Dana White as he glanced at his matchmaking board. "I think we did. Let me look here. Off the top of my head, I don't know, and it's not on the board here but, yeah, we are talking about rescheduling that one ASAP...
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Dana White also said that Alexander Volkanovski and his camp will be staying stateside and won't be returning to his homeland in Australia.
White reasoned that the COVID-19 protocols in place mandate the athletes to be put into a long quarantine when they return from abroad. That could hinder the UFC's ability to reschedule the fight promptly.
"Yeah, you know, cause these guys will all have to go home and quarantine and, you know, camp again and then come back here again. So yeah, it makes more sense for them to stay here, and we try to turn this fight around."
However, this duel will not take place at UFC 261, as the fight card already features three title fights.
White observed that four title matchups would be 'too many'. So it is plausible that Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega may get rescheduled at a later date.
"No, I wouldn't. Three is a lot. Four is too much. Three is awesome, four is too many... four is too many," said Dana White.
"Heal up... we'll postpone it' - Brian Ortega wishes Alexander Volkanovski a speedy recovery
Following the announcement of their fight getting cancelled, Brian Ortega posted a message for Alexander Volkanovski on Instagram, wishing the Australian champion a speedy recovery.
"I know you would have taken the fight no matter what, 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. … Some things are out of our control. We'll postpone it, and we'll just reschedule it (when) we got to. Stay sharp, we're staying sharp. Whenever this s--- is meant to happen, it'll happen."
