The UFC has lost another key bout from this weekend's card.
A scheduled middleweight fight between Jack Hermansson and Edmen Shahbazyan has been removed from UFC 262 on Saturday in Houston, UFC officials confirmed with ESPN. The fight will now take place as part of UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt on May 22 in Las Vegas.
UFC president Dana White told several media outlets Monday that the postponement was due to a positive COVID-19 test in Hermansson's camp, although Hermansson did not test positive himself.
ESPN has Hermansson ranked No. 9 in the world at 185 pounds, while Shahbazyan is the top prospect in the division.
Hermansson (21-6) has dropped two of three following a four-fight winning streak. The Sweden native who fights out of Norway fell to Marvin Vettori via unanimous decision last December in his most recent outing. Hermansson, 32, sports an 8-4 UFC record.
Shahbazyan (11-1) had his unbeaten record snapped by Derek Brunson last August via third-round TKO. Prior to that, the California native had won his first four fights in the UFC, the latter three by highlight-reel finish. Shahbazyan, still just 23 years old, was ranked last year by ESPN as the No. 2 under-25 fighter in MMA.
UFC 262 is headlined by a fight for the vacant lightweight title between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler. Last week, the UFC lost its planned co-main event, a welterweight bout between top contender Leon Edwards and the uber-popular Nate Diaz. That bout will now take place at UFC 263 on June 12.