It has been revealed that Daniel Cormier had COVID-19 ahead of his UFC 252 fight with Stipe Miocic on August 15.
Cormier tested positive for COVID-19 six weeks out from the rematch, according to a report by Yahoo Sports.
Interestingly, the report has only surfaced because the UFC plans to announce its partnership with Oura Health, the company which makes the Oura Ring — the same ring that Cormier believes helped him identify that he was unwell and suffering from COVID-19.
“The ring didn’t tell me I had COVID,” Cormier said (via Yahoo Sports). “But the ring told me that something wasn’t right, and I used the information to make a decision to go see the doctor. I found out then that I had COVID, but the information I got from the ring allowed me to make the fight.
“This is not an excuse at all. Miocic won the fight and he fought beautifully. This is a thank you almost to Oura for allowing me to get to the fight. I might have just kept pushing and not known I had it. But I was able to take care of myself properly and then get back into training and compete for the heavyweight championship of the world. Without the ring, I don’t think that’s possible.”
In this video, Ant Walker and Matthew Wells discuss the story and the almost unbelievable way that it was revealed to the public. Walker and Wells believe that the story raises a number of significant issues, including that the UFC held back this information from the public.
Walker asks “how many other things have been swept under the rug?” Or “how many things in the future will be swept under the rug?” He says that a clear precedent has now been set in regards to COVID-19.
Wells says that previously, USADA would immediately notify the public of positive tests. They stopped doing that because they didn’t want fighters being labeled as a steroid cheat, etc. But this is different. When a fighter tests positive for COVID-19, the public should be notified as soon as possible. Wells calls for the UFC to be honest, especially when Cormier had tested positive and was deemed healthy enough to compete.
What do you think? Is it strange that we’re only hearing about this information now? Please remember to like and subscribe if you enjoy our content.
