Daniel Cormier Tested Positive for COVID-19 Prior to UFC 252 Bout

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Retired mixed martial artist Daniel Cormier tested positive for the coronavirus over a month before his UFC 252 bout against Stipe Miocic in August, the former fighter confirmed to SI's Justin Barrasso. 

The positive diagnosis came a few days after Cormier's teammate tested positive for COVID-19. The former two-division world champion initially tested negative on July 3 but felt sick and fatigued as days progressed. On July 8, he was found to have the coronavirus. 

One piece of equipment Cormier used to track his resting heart rate and body temperature, which helped lead him get retested, was his Oura ring. The ring monitors pulse, movement and temperature, "delivering a holistic picture of your health," according to the product's official website. 

The NBA distributed Oura rings on its Disney campus, though the device’s ability to detect COVID symptoms is still being studied. Cormier is now a paid spokesman for the device.

In an interview with Barrasso, Cormier said he used the information from the ring—which he had been wearing months—to help him decide to see the doctor following his initial negative COVID-19 test result.

“I started wearing the ring months prior to the fight,” Cormier said. “In early July, I didn’t feel well, but a guy like me, I’m going to keep training. That’s what I do–embrace the grind, get through the tough times, and eventually you’ll feel better. But I knew something wasn’t right, so I kept checking out my Oura Ring, even though my coaches were making fun of me. They were giving me sh-- like, ‘Did Tommy Hearns wear a ring? Did Muhammad Ali wear a ring?’ I went to practice the next day, sparred two rounds and didn’t feel my best. So I went to the doctor, got the test, and I tested positive for COVID."

Cormier said that if it not for the Oura ring, he likely would have continued training and not been able to recover in quarantine. 

“The ring didn’t tell me I had COVID, but it told me something in my body was not responding the way it should," Cormier said. "If not for wearing the ring, I would have just kept training. It gave me the information I needed to detect it early and fight it early. I didn’t miss practice, and I isolated from my family and my teammates so I didn’t spread this around.”

In his recovery, Cormier said he was able to recover to the point of being prepared to face Miocic on Aug. 15 at UFC 252.

“Once I got the treatments, more Vitamin B, more Vitamin C, I was able to get to the fight and feel like myself,” Cormier said. “It helped me make it to the fight and go 25 minutes.”

Miocic ended up outlasting Cormier in a five-round heavyweight bout. Cormier, 41, had announced previously that the fight would be the last of his career.