Viviane Araujo is the latest UFC fighter to be diagnosed with COVID-19 and is now out of her fight against Jennifer Maia as a result, according to MMA Fighting.
Araujo was originally scheduled to fight Maia in a flyweight bout in an August 1 UFC event in Las Vegas. Maia will now face Joanne Calderwood instead.
Araujo told MMA Junkie that she doesn’t know how she caught the virus. “I was taking all precautions and training with only two fighters. They tested negative. Only I tested positive. That’s it. I was very sad that the fight was canceled and also worried for my health. Here in Brazil, the contamination rate is very high. Despite all precautions, I caught it. I am feeling mostly okay with only mild cold symptoms. My doctors are keeping an eye on me. The goal is to recover so I can book my next fight.”
The fighter is far from the first in the promotion to be diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Indeed, Gilbert Burns tested positive and was pulled from his title fight against Kamaru Usman at the beginning of the month, and numerous other fighters and their cornermen have been affected by the virus.
Maia vs. Calderwood is set to take place on UFC on ESPN+ 31, which will be headlined by a fight between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana.
