Daniel Cormier reveals testing COVID-19 positive while training for UFC 252 Miocic trilogy

At UFC 252, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier to retain his title and win the trilogy by 2-1. In the follow-up of the fight, Daniel Cormier announced his retirement and acknowledged that Stipe Miocic was the better man on the day and deserved to keep the prestigious UFC title. However, while talking to Yahoo Sports this month, Daniel Cormier revealed that he was not at his physical best leading up to the Stipe Miocic trilogy as he had tested positive for COVID-19.

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Cormier disclosed that he had contracted the virus in July 2020 during a training camp for the Stipe Miocic trilogy. He added that he became suspicious after one of his teammates at his training academy tested positive for COVID-19. Although the result of his first test came negative, Daniel Cormier soon began feeling symptoms and went in for another test, which came back positive. Daniel Cormier said after that he and his team took various precautions ahead of the much-awaited bout, which took place on August 15, 2020, and he later recovered from the deadly virus. Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic indulged in the bout which went all the way to the judges’ decision.

“That’s not an excuse at all. (Stipe) Miocic won the fight, and he fought beautifully. I was able to take care of myself properly and then get back into training and compete for the heavyweight championship of the world,” Daniel Cormier told Yahoo Sports.

Also Read l Stipe Miocic trilogy: Miocic retains heavyweight crown with decision over Cormier

Daniel Cormier thanks the Oura Health ring

Daniel Cormier later added that because of the Oura Health ring, he was able to notice that something was wrong with his health. He said that that’s when he went to a doctor and tested positive for the virus. Oura Health ring is a device that provides athletes with their health stats. UFC earlier announced that they had partnered with Oura Health and have already provided 65 UFC athletes with the device.

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UFC removes Daniel Cormier from heavyweight rankings

After Daniel Cormier announced his retirement, UFC removed Cormier from the heavyweight rankings, in which he was occupying the third spot earlier. Daniel Cormier is currently enjoying his retirement while Stipe Miocic is getting ready to defend his title against Francis Ngannou. There were rumours earlier that Stipe Miocic could fight Jon Jones but during a recent press conference, UFC president Dana White shot down those rumours. “Jon Jones can’t jump over Francis Ngannou. Francis has earned his spot,” said White.

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