It is a shock when title fights get canceled. After all, they are the biggest attraction of any MMA event. Unfortunately, ONE Championship had to cancel the bantamweight title fight between Bibiano Fernandes and John Linekar. It is said that the latter tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

MMA Fighting confirmed and reported this news. According to them, Lineker tested negative for the virus while leaving Brazil. However, upon his arrival in Singapore, the fighter tested positive. So this has resulted in the title fight getting canceled.

As a result, the co-main event might get pushed to the main event slot. The fight will see a clash between Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko. They will face each other for the interim heavyweight belt.

Further, it looks like ONE will re-book the matchup between Fernandes and Lineker in the future. It would definitely be great if they did so, considering that it would be a very interesting one. Both the fighters had been taking digs at each other and fans won’t be happy without a fight between them.

‘The Flash’ has completely dominated the division, whereas Lineker is just three fights old in the promotion. The Brazilian fighter was earlier fighting under UFC. Hence, a fight between him and Fernandes would be an absolute smashing one.

According to an article by Sherdog, Fernandes is not happy with this new situation and is disappointed.

Fans hope that John Lineker recovers soon and gets back to fighting. His MMA career at ONE started extremely well and people want to see more of him.

READ MORE- “He can say whatever he wants” – Bibiano Fernandes Not Bothered by John Lineker’s Antics Prior to ONE: Bad Blood

ONE Championship: Bad Blood happens on Friday in Singapore Indoor Stadium.

What’s next for Bibiano Fernandes?

While it is unfortunate that the title fight got canceled just hours prior, fans hope to see Bibiano Fernandes fight more. The fighter was about to make his comeback after a long time. He last fought against Kevin Belington at ONE Championship: Century Part II in 2019.

In fact, he has faced Belington thrice in a row. ‘The Flash’ lost their first fight; their second fight ended with Belington getting disqualified. But Fernandes won their third fight. So perhaps another bout with Belington would be interesting if a fight against Lineker does not materialize. What do you think?

Read More: “Joe and I Will Finally Get Together” – ONE Championship Chairman Chatri Sityodtong Shares His Desire to Appear on the Joe Rogan Experience