UFC middleweight Rodolfo Vieira cleared to compete again after recent health scare

Rodolfo Vieira is free to resume his career following a recent health scare. Vieira was scheduled to return to the Octagon against Wellington Turman…

By: Kristen King | 1 year ago
UFC middleweight Rodolfo Vieira cleared to compete again after recent health scare
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Rodolfo Vieira is free to resume his career following a recent health scare.

Vieira was scheduled to return to the Octagon against Wellington Turman at UFC 270 this past January, but the middleweight was forced to withdraw over medical reasons a day before the event. A pre-fight scan detected an abnormality in his brain, which led to the cancelation.

Now months removed from the initial scan, Vieira has provided an update on his condition. The Brazilian shared a photo of himself on Tuesday at AdventHealth Orlando in Florida, where he received a cerebral angiography. The procedure is used to produce pictures of blood vessels in the brain that detect abnormalities such as aneurysms, tumors or blood clots (via radiologyinfo.org).

“After months of waiting, I just did the cerebral angiography I needed and everything went fine,” wrote Vieira. “I’m just waiting in my room for the doctor to come tell me what I really have and if I’ll be able to continue fighting MMA. This is without a doubt the toughest day of my life. Whatever it is, I trust God and I know He will do what’s best for my life, as He’s always done.”

Vieira revealed he was still awaiting clearance to fight, but has reportedly been given the all-clear to do so. Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reported doctors told him that he could compete again.

The multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion has an overall record of 8-1 as a professional, with three of those wins coming by way of submission under the UFC banner. The previously unbeaten fighter suffered his first defeat at the hands of Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez, who submitted him via second-round guillotine choke at UFC 258.

Vieira has since rebounded with a ‘Performance of the Night’ awarded third-round rear-naked choke of Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Vegas 31 last July.

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About the author
Kristen King
Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.

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