Bloody Elbow has been tracking the reports of UFC fighters who have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020. That list is up to date and continues to be updated as positive COVID-19 tests come to light.
With over two years of information, it’s time to start making some use of the data it might provide. The below spreadsheet documents the UFC fighters who have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, how long they went between fights, the result of their return fight, and how they have fared in their careers since their initial diagnosis of COVID-19.
Here are some finding we got from those records:
- The fighters who have returned from COVID-19 have a combined record of 34-35 in their return fights
- Alejandro Perez went the longest time between his reported positive test and return fight: 365 days
- Andre Ewell went the shortest time between his reported positive test and return fight: 12 days
- Total days between reported positive tests and return fights for all fighters who returned to action: 7,459
UFC Fighters returning from COVID-19
| Fighter | Reported | Return Date | Return Card | Days Between Report & Return | Outcome | W return | L Return | W/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Reported | Return Date | Return Card | Days Between Report & Return | Outcome | W return | L Return | W/L |
| Johnny Walker | 1/2/22 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Matt Brown | 11/23/21 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Cheyanne Vlismas | 11/10/21 | 12/4/2021 | UFC Vegas 44 | 25 | Decision win over Mallory Martin | x | 1-0 | |
| Justin Gaethje | 10/6/2021 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Miesha Tate | 9/22/2021 | 11/20/2021 | UFC Vegas 43 | 60 | Decision loss to Ketlen Vieira | x | 0-1 | |
| Raquel Pennington | 9/19/2021 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Dakota Bush | 9/15/2021 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Jim MIller | 9/10/2021 | 10/16/2021 | UFC Vegas 40 | 37 | KO win over Erick Gonzalez | x | 1-0 | |
| Antonio Braga Neto | 9/2/2021 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Rani Yahya | 7/31/2021 | 11/20/2021 | UFC Vegas 43 | 113 | Decision win over Kyung Ho Kang | x | 1-0 | |
| Amanda Nunes | 7/29/2021 | 12/11/2021 | UFC 269 | 136 | Submission loss to Julianna Pena | x | 0-1 | |
| Amanda Ribas | 5/8/2021 | 10/30/2021 | UFC 267 | 176 | Decision win over Virna Jandiroba | x | 1-0 | |
| Jack Hermansson | 5/9/2021 | 5/22/2021 | UFC Vegas 27 | 28 | Decision win over Edmen Shahbazyan | x | 1-0 | |
| Kamaru Usman | 4/22/2021 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Ricardo Ramos | 4/14/2021 | 5/22/2021 | UFC Vegas 27 | 39 | Decision win over Bill Algeo | x | 1-1 | |
| Rafael Fiziev | 4/9/2021 | 8/7/2021 | UFC 265 | 121 | Decision win over Bobby Green | x | 2-0 | |
| Hannah Goldy | 3/24/2021 | 7/24/2021 | UFC Vegas 32 | 123 | Decision loss to Diana Belbita | x | 1-1 | |
| Randa Markos | 3/22/2021 | 5/1/2021 | UFC Vegas 25 | 41 | DQ loss to Luana Pinheiro | x | 1-1 | |
| Alexander Volkanovski | 3/20/2021 | 9/25/2021 | UFC 266 | 180 | Decisison win over Brian Ortega | x | 1-0 | |
| Paulo Costa | 3/16/2021 | 10/23/2021 | UFC Vegas 41 | 222 | Decision loss to Marvin Vettori | x | 0-1 | |
| Jamahal Hill | 3/10/2021 | 6/12/2021 | UFC 263 | 95 | TKO loss to Paul Craig | x | 1-1 | |
| Alonzo Menifield | 2/25/2021 | 3/27/2021 | UFC 260 | 31 | Submission win over Fabio Cherant | x | 2-1 | |
| Raoni Barcelos | 2/22/2021 | 6/26/2021 | UFC Vegas 30 | 125 | Decision loss to Timur Valiev | x | 0-1 | |
| Jimmie Rivera | 2/9/2021 | 2/27/2021 | UFC Vegas 20 | 19 | Decision loss to Pedro Munhoz | x | 0-1 | |
| Marion Reneau | 2/3/2021 | 3/20/2021 | UFC Vegas 22 | 46 | Decision loss to Macy Chiasson | x | 0-2 | |
| Raphael Assuncao | 2/2/2021 | 12/18/2021 | UFC Vegas 45 | 320 | KO loss to Ricky Simon | x | 0-1 | |
| Andre Ewell | 2/2/2021 | 2/13/2021 | UFC 258 | 12 | Decision loss to Chris Gutierrez | x | 0-3 | |
| Chris Weidman | 1/29/2021 | 4/24/2021 | UFC 261 | 86 | TKO loss to Uriah Hall | x | 0-1 | |
| Mike Grundy | 1/11/2021 | 5/15/2021 | UFC 262 | 115 | Decision loss to Lando Vannata | x | 0-1 | |
| Merab Dvalishvili | 1/9/2021 | 5/1/2021 | UFC Vegas 25 | 113 | Decision win over Cody Staman | x | 2-0 | |
| Anthony Hernandez | 1/3/2021 | 2/13/2021 | UFC 258 | 42 | Submisson win over Rodolfo Viera | x | 1-0 | |
| Brian Kelleher | 1/1/2021 | 2/13/2021 | UFC 258 | 44 | Decision loss to Ricky Simon | x | 1-1 | |
| Khamzat Chimaev | 12/29/2020 | 10/30/2021 | UFC 267 | 306 | Submission win over Li Jingliang | x | 1-0 | |
| Jordan Espinosa | 12/22/2020 | 3/6/2021 | UFC 259 | 75 | Decision loss to Tim Elliott | x | 0-1 | |
| Aiemann Zahabi | 12/17/2020 | 2/20/2021 | UFC Vegas 19 | 56 | KO win over Drako Rodriguez | x | 1-0 | |
| Rick Glenn | 12/16/2020 | 6/19/2021 | UFC Vegas 29 | 186 | KO win over Joaquim Silva | x | 1-0-1 | |
| Belal Muhammad | 12/15/2020 | 2/13/2021 | UFC 258 | 61 | Decision win over Dhiego Lima | x | 3-0-0-1 | |
| Muslim Salikhov | 12/15/2020 | 6/5/2021 | UFC Vegas 28 | 173 | Decision win over Francisco Trinaldo | x | 1-0 | |
| Jared Vanderaa | 12/10/2020 | 2/20/2021 | UFC Vegas 19 | 73 | TKO loss to Sergey Spivak | x | 1-2 | |
| Dwight Grant | 12/8/2020 | 4/24/2021 | UFC 261 | 138 | Decision win over Stefan Sekulic | x | 1-1 | |
| Karl Roberson | 12/7/2020 | 4/24/2021 | UFC 261 | 139 | Submission loss to Brendan Allen | x | 0-1 | |
| Angela Hill | 12/7/2020 | 3/13/2021 | UFC Vegas 21 | 97 | Decision win over Ashley Yoder | x | 1-2 | |
| Movsar Evloev | 12/5/2020 | 1/24/2021 | UFC 257 | 51 | Decision win over Nik Lentz | x | 2-0 | |
| Alexandre Pantoja | 12/4/2020 | 2/6/2021 | UFC Vegas 18 | 65 | Decison win over Manel Kape | x | 2-0 | |
| Leon Edwards | 12/1/2020 | 3/13/2021 | UFC Vegas 21 | 103 | No contest vs. Belal Muhammad | 1-0-0-1 | ||
| Kevin Holland | 11/28/2020 | 12/12/2020 | UFC Vegas 22 | 15 | KO win over Ronaldo Souza | x | 1-2-0-1 | |
| Curtis Blaydes | 11/27/2020 | 2/20/2021 | UFC Vegas 19 | 86 | KO loss to Derrick Lewis | x | 1-1 | |
| Renato Moicano | 11/22/2020 | 12/12/2020 | UFC 256 | 21 | KO loss to Rafael Fiziev | x | 1-1 | |
| Felipe Colares | 11/1/2020 | 5/1/2021 | UFC Vegas 25 | 182 | Decision win over Luke Sanders | x | 1-1 | |
| Makhmud Muradov | 10/29/2020 | 1/23/2021 | UFC 257 | 87 | TKO win over Andrew Sanchez | x | 1-1 | |
| Gabriel Benitez | 10/27/2020 | 12/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 16 | 40 | TKO win over Justin Jaynes | x | 1-1 | |
| Cynthia Calvillo | 10/15/2020 | 11/21/2020 | UFC 255 | 38 | Decision loss to Katlyn Chookagain | x | 0-3 | |
| Rafael dos Anjos | 10/8/2020 | 11/14/2020 | UFC Vegas 14 | 38 | Decison win over Paul Felder | x | 1-0 | |
| Mounir Lazzez | 10/7/2020 | 1/20/2021 | UFC Fight Island 8 | 106 | TKO loss to Warlley Alves | x | 0-1 | |
| Alejandro Perez | 10/3/2020 | 10/2/2021 | UFC Vegas 38 | 365 | Submission win over Johnny Eduardo | x | 1-0 | |
| Wellington Turman | 10/1/2020 | 6/19/2021 | UFC Vegas 29 | 262 | KO loss to Bruno Silva | x | 1-1 | |
| Nate Landwehr | 9/17/2020 | 2/20/21 | UFC Vegas 19 | 157 | TKO loss to Julian Erosa | x | 1-1 | |
| Thiago Santos | 9/15/2020 | 11/7/2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | 54 | Submission loss to Glover Teixeira | x | 1-2 | |
| Frank Camacho | 9/10/2020 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | ||
| Kevin Natividad | 9/5/2020 | 10/31/2020 | UFC Vegas 12 | 56 | KO loss to Miles Johns | x | 0-2 | |
| Marcos Rogerio de Lima | 9/5/2020 | 11/7/2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | 63 | Submission loss to Alexander Romanov | x | 2-1 | |
| Thiago Moises | 9/5/2020 | 10/31/2020 | UFC Vegas 12 | 56 | Decision win over Bobby Green | x | 2-2 | |
| Cody Garbrandt | 9/4/2020 | 5/22/2021 | UFC Vegas 27 | 260 | Decision loss to Rob Font | x | 0-2 | |
| Glover Teixeira | 9/4/2020 | 11/7/2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | 64 | Submission win over Thiago Santos | x | 2-0 | |
| Nicco Montano | 8/29/2020 | 7/31/2021 | UFC Vegas 33 | 337 | Did not fight – missed weight | 0-0 | ||
| Giga Chikadze | 8/26/2020 | 10/11/2020 | UFC Fight Island 5 | 46 | Decision win over Omar Morales | x | 4-0 | |
| Ovince Saint Preux | 8/22/2020 | 9/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 9 | 14 | KO win over Alonzo Menifield | x | 1-2 | |
| Mark Striegl | 8/20/2020 | 10/17/2020 | UFC Fight Island 6 | 58 | KO loss to Said Nurmagomedov | x | 0-1 | |
| Ion Cutelaba | 8/11/2020 | 10/24/2020 | UFC 254 | 74 | KO loss to Magomed Abkalaev | x | 1-1-1 | |
| Gerald Meerschaert | 8/1/2020 | 9/19/2020 | UFC Vegas 11 | 49 | KO loss to Khamzat Chimaev | x | 3-1 | |
| Viviane Araujo | 7/20/2020 | 9/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 9 | 47 | Decision win over Montana De La Rosa | x | 2-1 | |
| Irene Aldana | 7/22/2020 | 10/04/2020 | UFC Fight Island 4 | 74 | Decision loss to Holly Holm | x | 1-1 | |
| Anderson dos Santos | 7/3/2020 | 11/28/2020 | UFC Vegas15 | 148 | Submission win over Martin Day | x | 1-1 | |
| Vinicius Moreira | 7/3/2020 | 1/20/21 | UFC Fight Island 8 | 201 | Knockout loss to Ike Villanueva | x | 1-3 | |
| Pedro Munhoz | 7/6/2020 | 8/22/2020 | UFC Vegas 7 | 47 | Decision loss to Frankie Edgar | x | 1-3 | |
| Alexander Romanov | 7/9/2020 | 9/12/2020 | UFC Vegas 10 | 65 | Submission win over Roque Martinez | x | 4-0 | |
| Gilbert Burns | 7/3/2020 | 2/13/2021 | UFC 258 | 224 | TKO loss to Kamaru Usman | x | 1-1 | |
| Ronaldo Souza | 5/8/2020 | 12/12/2020 | UFC 256 | 218 | KO loss to Kevin Holland | x | 0-2 | |
| Lyman Good | 4/4/2020 | 6/20 | UFC Vegas 3 | 35 | Decision loss to Belal Muhammad | x | 0-1 |
A few notes on the fighters who are listed as NA in the table above:
- Frank Camacho: Camacho was in a car accident following his COVID-19 diagnosis and hasn’t fought since that accident.
- Kamaru Usman: Usman revealed he had COVID-19 post UFC 251. He did not miss any scheduled fights.
- Antonio Braga Neto: The UFC released Neto after his positive test. He has not fought elsewhere.
- Dakota Bush: Bush is scheduled to face Viacheslav Borshchev on January 15, 2022
- Raquel Pennington: Did not miss any officially booked fights due to COVID-19. Said she was diagnosed in April 2021 and hospitalized twice.
- Justin Gaethje: Did not miss any fights, mentioned his positive test in passing during an interview
- Matt Brown: Brown is scheduled to return on March 26, 2022.
- Johnny Walker: Walker is booked to face Jamahal Hill on February 19, 2022.