Former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman and Jack Hermansson were supposed to meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City, but that event and a host of others would be postponed and/or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hermansson has been trying to get back to the United States, but is dealing with visa issues and the UFC is trying to help him out.
“Right now, I’m not sure they will be able to get me a new visa, they are working on it and as soon as things are sorted, and the UFC thinks they can make it happen, so I’m sure they will,” Hermansson said on the Eurobash podcast (via Peter Carroll of MMA Fighting). “I’m not too sure what day I got the notice [regarding traveling restrictions to the U.S.], but it was not unexpected. I trained hard for the fight, but I knew this could happen, but I’m still training and waiting for a new chance that it will show up.”
The middleweight’s visa issues are something that a lot of UFC fighters from outside of North America may have problems with during the coronavirus pandemic.
Weidman doesn’t have another fight booked at the moment and Hermansson says the UFC still wants to put the bout between them together.
“I am the matchup that they want, but at the same time they’re trying to get reserves. That was the situation when we were supposed to fight as well. They had a couple of reserves in case I couldn’t make it inside the States, but then they postponed the whole thing anyway. Right now, I’m not sure. I’m speaking to the UFC and right now they still want to make the fight happen. I guess if they can’t make it happen soon enough they will have someone for Weidman,” says Hermansson.
With the UFC expected to run weekly events during the coronavirus pandemic, both Weidman and Hermansson will have plenty of opportunities to meet in the Octagon.
