Mikkel LesPierre-Jose Padraza Card Called Off as LesPierre's Manager Tests Positive for COVID-19

The Top Rank bout originally scheduled for Thursday night has been cancelled after Mikkel LesPierre's manager tested positive for COVID-19. The rules that the state of Nevada have put in place indicate that if anybody in the athlete's party tests positive, the card must be called off. SI's Chris Mannix shares more on the story and how this could be a lesson for the NBA as well.

Video Transcript:

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Robin Lundberg: Mikkel LesPierres versus Jose Padraza has been called off as Top Rank had to cancel the main event in its event that after LesPierre's manager tested positive for coronavirus. For more, I'm joined by our senior writer, Chris Mannix. Chris, what exactly happened here?

Chris Mannix: Yeah. On Thursday morning, LesPierre's manager Jose Tavarez has tested positive for the coronavirus, and he had been around less beer all week. And Nevada rules on events taking place in the state, say that any member of a team that is involved with the fighter - that means [if anyone] tests positive, the entire card is completely off. So even though there is no indication yet that Mikkel LesPierre has tested positive, because his manager tested positive - that entire flight has been scrapped.

Robin Lundberg: Now, he had initially tested negative. Correct? So how could this be a lesson for, say, a sport like the NBA, which is trying to run a bubble site as well?

Chris Mannix: Yeah, it's a big one at this point, Robin, because sources have told me that when the manager got into the bubble, he tested negative and he's testing positive on Thursday. Getting out of the bubble on Saturday, tested positive on Thursday. So apparently somewhere in between, he found a way to contract the coronavirus and Top Rank runs a pretty tight bubble. They have a lot of protocols in place to make sure only people that are being tested are allowed in and out of the bubble. As we've seen in the last couple of days, the NBA has released a lengthy set of protocols, 113 pages. But inside those protocols, it does say that Disney employees are not necessarily going to be tested when they come in and out of the bubble. They'll be subject to temperature checks and symptom checks, but not the same level of testing that NBA players and personnel have. So if you're the NBA and you see Top Rank, a major production company had its third positive test after removing third flight from a show. You have to be a little leery. You have to almost have an expectation that when you get going, there are not going to be just one or two positive tests. There might be many positive tests that could significantly impact this resumed season.