The Brazilian fighter Geraldo De Freitas opens up about how he got to know about the suspension of his fight. This drastic decision came as a response to the growing seriousness of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Almost every fighter scheduled to fight in the near future was dealing with a lot of uncertainty about their future these past few weeks. However, many felt that the worst that could happen was that they would be fighting behind closed doors, like at UFC Brasilia. 

“I wasn’t that concerned about it, was more concerned before UFC Brasilia. I was worried they might cancel the card. When I learned they were going to do it behind closed doors, I got more at ease, thinking they might hold my card behind closed doors in London, too. I was still thinking about fighting then.”- Geraldo De Freitas to Bloody Elbow

Freitas was willing to risk infection to train and fight. Because like a lot of fighters he could not afford to back out of the fight. 

“At first, I only thought about fighting. I still want to fight right now, because we need that. It’s how we make a living. If you don’t fight, you don’t get paid. We wanted to fight in any way possible.”- Geraldo De Freitas to BE

Freitas claims that the UFC made efforts in contacting the fighters to assure them that the fight will surely take place. The UFC also asked the fighters to ensure they were safe from the virus themselves and that they should consult a doctor if they develop any symptoms of the same. 

Geraldo De Freitas On The Cancellation Of The Fight

Following the addition of the U.K. to the list of countries with travel bans, the UFC said they would be moving the entire card to the United States. Many fights including that of Freitas faced suspensions.

“I was really worried, I was afraid of going, getting infected and having that affect my performance. If I had gotten infected while there, maybe there would not be time for it to get detected and it could have affected my performance. We are high-performance athletes, every little thing makes a difference for us. If you’re starting to come down with something before a fight. That can really hinder your performance.”- Geraldo De Freitas to BE

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Espartano was looking to take on the undefeated Welsh fighter Jack shore(12-0-0). Shore’s career in the UFC had only just started before the suspension of Fight Night 171 came out. 

Fight Night 171 would have seen him debut on the main card. Shore took on Nohelin Hernandez(10-4-0) in the prelims at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson v Cannonier. The fight ended with Shore submitting Hernandez with a rear-naked choke in the dying minutes of the last round.