Mirsad Bektic loses opponent for Saturday’s card due to COVID-19 issues

UFC featherweight Mirsad Bektic has lost his opponent Eduardo Garagorri ahead of their fight this Saturday night at UFC Vegas 11.

Bektic and Garagorri were set to meet in a featured prelim on this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley card, but the fight has been canceled. According to a report from MMAFighting.com, a cornerman for Garagorri has tested positive for COVID-19. Due to the cornerman’s positive COVID-19 test, the promotion has pulled Garagorri from the event out of an abundance of caution, leaving Bektic with no opponent.

According to the report, Garagorri is hoping the UFC can re-book the Bektic fight for a Fight Island event in the next month. However, the promotion may opt to find someone willing to step in on short notice to keep Bektic fighting on this weekend’s card. Either way, it’s disappointing news to lose this fight with the event just a few more days away.

Bektic (13-3) was once one of the top featherweight prospects in the sport, but he has really struggled over the last few years. In his last two fights, Bektic suffered back-to-back losses to Josh Emmett and Dan Ige. He has never been the same dominant fighter since losing to Darren Elkins in shocking fashion back in 2017, though he has picked up wins over the recently-retired Ricardo Lamas and Godofredo Pepey since then.

Garagorri (13-1) is just 1-1 overall in the UFC with a win over Humberto Bandenay in his Octagon debut followed up by a submission loss to Ricardo Ramos. Garagorri was a big underdog at the sportsbooks ahead of this fight with Bektic and was becoming a trendy underdog pick in some circles. Now, he will have to wait for another opportunity to fight Bektic again in the future, though the UFC may just move on from this fight.

Do you think the UFC should re-book Mirsad Bektic vs. Eduardo Garagorri or should the promotion try to find Bektic another opponent?