Gerald Meerschaert vs. Ed Herman pulled from UFC Vegas 5 due to positive COVID-19 test

The light heavyweight fight between Gerald Meerschaert and Ed Herman has been pulled from Saturday night’s card after Meerschaert tested positive for COVID-19.

UFC officials confirmed the news in a text message to MMA Fighting on Saturday following an initial report from Combate.

Fighters competing in the UFC during the coronavirus pandemic are required to pass multiple COVID-19 tests before being cleared to fight. Unfortunately, Meerschaert had a test return positive on Saturday, which forced him to be pulled from the card.

Due to the timing, there was no way to secure a replacement opponent for Herman on short notice.

UFC Vegas 5 will now move ahead with nine total bouts with middleweights Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan headlining the card from the UFC APEX.