Frevola off UFC Fight Night after teammate contracts COVID-19
Matt Frevola announced Thursday he's been pulled from Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov after his teammate and cornerman, UFC featherweight Billy Quarantillo, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Frevola was scheduled to meet Frank Camacho in a lightweight bout. He said he provided proof that he tested positive in a COVID-19 antibodies test in April, but the promotion "did not want any liability or to risk it." The 30-year-old also twice tested negative for the coronavirus.
"We did everything possible to make this fight happen," Frevola wrote in an Instagram post.
"Being that there is a lack of knowledge on the incubation period and still so many unknowns regarding COVID-19, they decided to pull me (because) of the positive test result from my teammate and brother, Billy Q," he added.
Frevola wrote in a tweet that Quarantillo tested positive in two COVID-19 tests.
Quarantillo most recently fought at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burns on May 30, the first event held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas since the start of the pandemic. He picked up a unanimous decision win over Spike Carlyle. This weekend's event will take place at the same venue.
"(Quarantillo) has been a huge help and source of support throughout camp and I have no hard feelings," Frevola wrote. "He is 100% healthy at the moment and feels fine, so he must be asymptomatic."
Camacho will now fight newcomer Justin Jaynes, according to MMA Junkie's John Morgan.
Earlier in June, Ian Heinisch's coach tested positive for the coronavirus and the fighter briefly withdrew from UFC 250 for precautionary reasons. However, the result later proved to be a false positive, and Heinisch returned to his bout against Gerald Meerschaert, whom he beat via first-round TKO.
Quarantillo is the third UFC fighter to test positive for the coronavirus after Lyman Good and Ronaldo Souza.
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