Anthony Hernandez forced to withdraw from slated UFC Fight Night 184 bout against Rodolfo Vieira

UFC middleweight Anthony Hernandez has been forced to withdraw from his proposed fight against Rodolfo Vieira at UFC Fight Night 184.

Hernandez last fought inside the Octagon back in May 2020 when he was beaten by Kevin Holland, kickstarting the latter’s phenomenal rise to prominence last year. On the flip side, Vieira holds an unbeaten record of 7-0 in his professional career with two of those wins coming in the UFC via submission over Saparbek Safarov and Oskar Piechota.

Hernandez explained the reason behind his withdrawal in a brief social media post.

“Happy New Year! Good news is that #teamFluffy is safe and gear goes out next week 💯 bad news is the fights delayed — 2020 left me with the covid. I’m good tho — and rescheduled for 2/13 🙏🏽🐔🥊 #areyounotentertained”.

One thing that has become crystal clear over the course of the last nine months is that while the Ultimate Fighting Championship has done a solid job of putting on shows during the COVID-19 pandemic, it hasn’t been perfect.

From fighters testing positive during fight week to some picking up the virus just prior to an event taking place, there have been plenty of postponed or outright canceled bouts since the situation first really began to unfold in the United States last March. This Hernandez vs. Vieira fight is the latest example.

Thankfully for the promotion they still have a decent looking card on their hands in this event, even without Hernandez on the bill, which will take place on January 16 as fans prepare to take in another host of Fight Island cards.

The event will be headlined by a fascinating featherweight encounter between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar with many fans believing the winner of that contest could wind up with a title shot later on in 2021. Plus, a series of talented stars have been touted to appear on the card such as Tom Breese, Joaquin Buckley and the returning Santiago Ponzinibbio.

2021 is going to be rough for many people with COVID-19 still looming large, but at least we’ve got a fun night of fights to open up the year for the UFC fanbase.

Who will win the rescheduled fight between Anthony Hernandez and Rodolfo Vieira on February 13? Let us known who you’re picking in the comments.