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The highly-anticipated rematch between Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev has been called-off once again, due to the former being tested positive for COVID-19 once again.
Hours prior to the start of tonight's UFC Vegas 8 main card, the promotion announced that Ion Cutelaba has tested positive for the coronavirus and been removed from tonight's main card opener.
The statement from the UFC read the following:
“Due to a positive COVID-19 test, Ion Cutelaba’s light heavyweight fight against Magomed Ankalaev has been removed from today’s undercard and will be rescheduled for a later date.- the UFC statement read.
Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev were finally set for their highly-awaited rematch later today after their original meeting ended in a controversial first-round TKO stoppage at UFC on ESPN+27 in February.
The curse around the Ion Cutelaba vs Magomed Ankalaev fight
Following the controversial ending to their initial bout, which saw the fight being called-off by referee Kevin MacDonald within the first few minutes of the bout, the UFC booked the rematch between Cutelaba and Ankalaev for UFC 249.
However, the cancellation of the entire UFC 249 card due to the coronavirus pandemic forced the fight to be called off once again. Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev were then booked for a fight at UFC 252 but this time the fight was removed after The Hulk tested positive for COVID-19.
Just when it seemed like the fight was finally going down this week at UFC Vegas 8, Ion Cutelaba had tested positive once again for the coronavirus and has been removed from the card. The updated UFC Vegas 8 main card will move forward with four fights, with 'Lionheart' Anthony Smith returning in the main event against Aleksandar Rakic. The rest of the card will feature the likes of Ricardo Lamas, Alexa Grasso, and the returning Robbie Lawler, as the former UFC Welterweight Champion prepares for a co-main event clash against Neil Magny.
