Deiveson Figueiredo tests positive for COVID-19, title rematch with Joseph Benavidez in jeopardy – MMA Fighting

Ismail said Figueiredo checked favorable for the virus two months earlier after suffering from signs of the virus. But he denied the fighter was still infected and blamed the test for a favorable outcome. He included Figueiredos corners likewise checked negative for COVID-19 and said the fighter will be evaluated once again with the hopes of boarding another plane to Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Word of Figueiredos positive test was first reported by Combate. A UFC associate told MMA Fighting the promotion is checking out the matter and decreased additional comment.

” He couldnt have checked positive because he had actually COVID two months earlier,” Ismail said.

The CDC and WHO still doubt on whether a person formerly infected with COVID-19 is totally immune to future infections. In May, WHO medical professional Maria Van Kerkhove informed the BBC that the company has seen previously contaminated individuals whove previously checked unfavorable then test favorable numerous weeks later. She attributed the phenomenon to the healing process of the lungs as it got rid of dead cells.

” Theres fragments of those lungs that are testing positive for PCR,” she said. “Its not contagious infection. Its not the infection. Its not reactivation. Its actually part of the recovery process.”

Deiveson Figueiredo has actually failed a pre-fight COVID-19 test, and his title rematch with Joseph Benavidez might be in jeopardy.

Figueiredos manager, Wallid Ismail, on Friday informed MMA Fighting the Brazilian flyweight title opposition was due to fly to Abu Dhabi from Sao Paulo, one of 3 hub cities the UFC has actually designated for fighters taking a trip to “Fight Island,” for the July 18 battle at Yas Island. As part of the trip, Figueiredo was tested for COVID-19, and he stopped working the test, preventing him from getting on the plane.

3 kinds of COVID-19 tests are currently in extensive use: PCR, which looks for the hereditary product of the coronavirus; antibody, which looks whether an individual has actually previously been infected, and antigen, which searches for active infection. Its not understood what type of COVID-19 test Figueiredo took that produced the positive. In a UFC news release that promoted “Fight Island” security procedures, it noted the promotion anticipated to perform “around 3,300 on-site and pre-departure COVID-19 antigen tests for UFC athletes and event workers.”

Ismail stated Figueiredo evaluated positive for the virus 2 months earlier after suffering from signs of the infection. He added Figueiredos corners likewise evaluated unfavorable for COVID-19 and said the fighter will be tested again with the hopes of boarding another aircraft to Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Figueiredo would suffer another ravaging career obstacle if verified positive and ruled out of the battle. Prior to his first conference with Benavidez in February, which ended in a brutal knockout win, he stopped working to make weight and was ruled disqualified to win a title left uninhabited by previous two-division champ Henry Cejudo.

Tests carried out in Sao Paulo included a nasal swab, which generally signifies a PCR test, and a throat swab, which takes the saliva required for an antigen test.

Despite his newest problem, Figueiredo has actually won his past 3 fights, finishing two of 3.

In an interview with MMA Fighting on Wednesday, Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist formerly critical of the UFCs screening procedures, said the promotion would be more effective utilizing PCR tests, as antigen tests typically trigger incorrect positives.

As MMA Fighting previously reported, Alexandre Pantoja stated he is on board as a backup fighter ought to either fighter be eliminated of the July 18 occasion.

In May, WHO medical professional Maria Van Kerkhove told the BBC that the firm has seen previously contaminated persons whove previously evaluated unfavorable then test positive several weeks later. Its not known what type of COVID-19 test Figueiredo took that produced the favorable.