Chikadze was scheduled to face Caceres in a featherweight bout this Saturday at UFC Vegas 8 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, but it was reported earlier this week that he was pulled from the bout. Adjarasport.com was first to report that Chikadze’s withdrawal was due to testing positive for COVID-19 and officials confirmed the news Friday.
Chikadze was initially replaced by Kevin Croom, but Croom was pulled from the short-notice booking for undisclosed reasons and Austin Springer is now currently slated to fight Caceres.
See the UFC’s official statement here:
Due to a positive COVID-19 test from Giga Chikadze, Alex Caceres will now face Austin Springer in a featherweight bout on Saturday, August 29. Springer, a veteran from “The Ultimate Fighter” and “Dana White’s Contender Series,” joins the organization riding a three-fight win streak.
No further updates were provided concerning Chikadze’s condition.
Since the UFC established testing protocol for its events in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, several cards have been shaken up by positive COVID-19 tests. Last week, a positive test forced Ovince Saint Preux out of the UFC on ESPN 15 co-main event, and this Saturday’s grudge match between Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev was rescheduled from UFC 252 after Cutelaba tested positive.
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