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On March 7, 2020, the UFC presented the UFC 248 pay-per-view card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The promotion reported an attendance of 15,077 for that event, which featured two title fights at the top of the card. In the co-main event, strawweight champion Weili Zhang defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk by split decision. The headlining bout saw Israel Adesanya defend his middleweight title against Yoel Romero. Adesanya won that bout via unanimous decision. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented fight fans from attending a live UFC event since that event took place.
One week after UFC 248, the promotion held UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brazil. Fans were not admitted to the event due to COVID-19 restrictions. The UFC paused activity between March 21 and May 2, “postponing” five events during that time.
When the promotion returned to action, it was for three fight cards in Jacksonville, Florida. Those cards took place on May 9, May 13 and May 16. During those events, the UFC looked to tighten its safety protocols so it could continue to present fight cards through the rest of 2020.
The promotion worked with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and Abu Dhabi to put COVID-19 safety measures in place for the rest of 2020. Every fight card that followed the Jacksonville events either took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas or Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.
The UFC opens its 2021 slate of events in Abu Dhabi on January 16. COVID-19 restrictions and protocol remain in place for the events.
What follows is a list of UFC fighters who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020. This list is strictly for fighters who tested positive. Bloody Elbow will keep a separate list of fights lost for other reasons related to COVID-19.
Total number of reported UFC fighters who tested positive for COVID-19 as of 1/1/21 = 77
UFC fighters who have tested positive for COVID-19
| Fighter | Reported | Card | Card Date | Opponent | Resolution | Next Appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Reported | Card | Card Date | Opponent | Resolution | Next Appearance | Notes |
| Justin Gaethje | 10/6/2021 | NA | NA | NA | UFC 268 | ||
| Miesha Tate | 9/22/2021 | UFC Vegas 40 | 10/16/2021 | Ketlen Vieira | Fight Scratched - rescheduled for UFC Vegas 43 | UFC Vegas 43 | |
| Raquel Peningonn | 9/19/2021 | NA | NA | NA | NA | Hospitalized | |
| Dakota Bush | 9/15/2021 | UFC Vegas 37 | 9/18/2021 | Zhu Rong | Replaces by Brandon Jenkins | NA | |
| Jim MIller | 9/10/2021 | UFC Vegas 37 | 9/18/2021 | Niklas Motta | Miller replaced by Cameron VanCamp | NA | First fight withdrawal ever for Miller |
| Antonio Braga Neto | 9/2/2021 | UFC Vegas 34 | 8/21/2021 | Abdul Razak Hassan | Fight scratched | Released by UFC | Released by UFC |
| Rani Yahya | 7/31/2021 | UFC Vegas 33 | 7/31/2021 | Kyung Ho Kang | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Amanda Nunes | 7/29/2021 | UFC 265 | 8/7/2021 | Julianna Pena | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Amanda Ribas | 5/23/2021 | UFC Vegas 28 | 6/5/2021 | Angela Hill | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Jack Hermansson | 5/19/2021 | UFC 262 | 5/17/2021 | Edmen Shahbazyan | Rescheduled for UFC Vegas 27 - May 22 | Hermansson won via UD | |
| Amanda Ribas | 5/8/2021 | UFC on ESPN 24 | 5/8/2021 | Angela Hill | Rescheduled for June 5, 2021 | ||
| Amanda Ribas | Not reported | NA | NA | NA | NA | Ribas reported 5/8 was second bout with COVID-19 | |
| Kamaru Usman | 4/22/2021 | Post-UFC 251 | ESPN Cover Story Profile | ||||
| Ricardo Ramos | 4/14/2021 | UFC Vegas 24 | 4/17/2021 | Bill Algeo | Fight scratched | Possible May 18 | |
| Rafael Fiziev | 4/9/2021 | NA | NA | NA | Unable to accept fight against Top-15 opponent | NA | |
| Hannah Goldy | 3/24/2021 | UFC 260 | 3/27/2021 | Jessica Penne | FIght scratched - rescheduled for April 17 | Possible April 17 | |
| Randa Markos | 3/22/2021 | UFC 260 | 3/27/2021 | Luana Pinheiro | Fight scratched - reschduled for May 1 | Possible May 1 | |
| Alexander Volkanovski | 3/20/2021 | UFC 260 | 3/27/2021 | Brian Ortega | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Paulo Costa | 3/16/2021 | April 17 | 4/17/2021 | Robert Whittaker | Withdrawal from fight | NA | Tested positive a month before reporting |
| Jamahal Hill | 3/10/2021 | UFC Vegas 21 | 3/13/2021 | Paul Craig | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Alonzo Menifield | 2/25/2021 | UFC Vegas 10 | 2/27/2021 | William Knight | Fight scratched - possibly rescheduled | NA | |
| Raoni Barcelos | 2/22/2021 | UFC Vegas 20 | 2/27/2021 | Marcelo Rojo | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Jimmie Rivera | 2/9/2021 | UFC 258 | 2/13/2021 | Pedro Munhoz | Fight scratched - will be rescheduled | NA | |
| Marion Reneau | 2/3/2021 | UFC Vegas 18 | 2/6/2021 | Macy Chiason | Fight scratched - rescheduled for February 27, 2021 | Possible UFC Vegas 20 | |
| Raphael Assuncao | 2/2/2021 | UFC Vegas 18 | 2/6/2021 | Raoni Barcelos | Fight scratched - | NA | |
| Andre Ewell | 2/2/2021 | UFC Vegas 18 | 2/6/2021 | Cody Stamann | Fight scratched - Stamann facesAskar Askar | NA | |
| Chris Weidman | 1/29/2021 | UFC 258 | 2/13/2021 | Uriah Hall | Fight Scratched - rescheduled for UFC 261 - April 4, 2021 | Possible UFC 261 | |
| Mike Gundy | 1/11/2021 | UFC Fight Island 7 | 1/16/2021 | Nik Lentz | Fight Scratched - Lentz faces Movsar Evloev | NA | |
| Merab Dvalishvili | 1/9/2021 | UFC Vegas 16 | 12/5/2020 | Cody Stamann | Fight scratched - rescheduled for UFC 259 - February 6, 2020 | Possible UFC 259 | COVID-19 was not initially disclosed as reason for fight cancelation in October 2020 (https://twitter.com/iHeartGeorgius1/status/1348025190463250432?s=20) |
| Anthony Hernandez | 1/3/2021 | UFC Fight Island 7 | 1/16/2021 | Rodolfo Vieira | Fight scratched - rescheduled for February 13, 2021 | Possible February 13, 2021 | |
| Brian Kelleher | 1/1/2021 | UFC Fight Island 7 | 1/16/2021 | Ricky Simon | FIght scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Khamzat Chimaev | 12/29/2020 | UFC Fight Island | 1/20/2021 | Leon Edwards | FIght scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Jordan Espinosa | 12/22/2020 | UFC Fight Island | 1/16/2021 | Tim Elliott | Fight scratched - rescheduled for March 6, 2021 | Possible March 6, 20201 | |
| Karl Roberson | 12/17/2020 | UFC Vegas 17 | 12/19/2020 | Dalcha Lungiambula | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | Second scratch was originally pulled from UFC 256 |
| Aiemann Zahabi | 12/17/2020 | UFC Vegas 17 | 12/19/2020 | Drako Rodriguez | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Rick Glenn | 12/16/2020 | UFC Vegas 17 | 12/19/2020 | Carlton Minus | Minus faces Christos Giagos at UFC Vegas 17 | NA | |
| Belal Muhammad | 12/15/2020 | UFC Vegas 17 | 12/19/2020 | Dhiego Lima | Fight scratched - possible for January | January possible | |
| Muslim Salikhov | 12/15/2020 | 1/16/2021 | Santiago Ponzinibbio | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | ||
| Jared Vanderaa | 12/10/2020 | UFC 256 | 12/12/2020 | Sergey Spivak | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Dwight Grant | 12/8/2020 | UFC 256 | 12/12/2020 | Li Jingliang | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Karl Roberson | 12/7/2020 | UFC 256 | 12/12/2020 | Dalcha Lungiambula | Fight scratched rebooked for UFC Vegas 17 - December 12, 2020 | scratched from UFC Vegas 17 - COVID | |
| Angela Hill | 12/7/2020 | UFC 256 | 12/12/2020 | Tecia Torres | Fight scratched - Torres faced replacement opponent Sam Hughes. Torres won via first round TKO (5:00) | NA | |
| Movsar Evloev | 12/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 16 | 12/5/2020 | Nate Landwehr | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Alexandre Pantoja | 12/4/2020 | UFC Vegas 17 | 12/19/2020 | Manel Kape | Fight scratched | Possible for early 2021 | |
| Leon Edwards | 12/1/2020 | UFC Vegas 17 | 12/19/2020 | Khamzat Chimaev | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | |
| Kevin Holland | 11/28/2020 | UFC Vegas 16 | 12/5/2020 | Jack Hermansson | Fight scratched - Hermansson fought Marvin Vettori - Vettori won decision - Holland scheduled for UFC 256 on December 12 | UFC 256 | Defeated Ronaldo Souza via first round KO |
| Curtis Blaydes | 11/27/2020 | UFC Vegas 15 | 11/28/2020 | Derrick Lewis | Fight scratched - not rebooked | NA | ESPN reported possible December rebooking |
| Renato Moicano | 11/22/2020 | UFC Vegas 15 | 11/28/2020 | Rafael Fiziev | Fight scratched - rebooked for UFC 256 on December 12, 2020 | UFC 256 | Fiziev defeated Moicano via first round KO |
| Felipe Colares | 11/1/2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | 11/7/2020 | Gustavo Lopez | Fight scratched - Lopez fought Anthony Birchak - Lopez won first round submission | NA | |
| Makhmud Muradov | 10/29/2020 | UFC Vegas 12 | 10/31/2020 | Kevin Holland | Fight scratched - Holland faced Charles Ontiveros - Holland won via first-round TKO | UFC 257 possible | Booked to face Andrew Sanchez at UFC 257 on January 23, 2020 |
| Gabriel Benitez | 10/27/2020 | UFC Vegas 14 | 11/14/2020 | Justin Jaynes | Fight scratched - rebooked for UFC Vegas 16 on December 5. | UFC Vegas 16 | Benitez defeated Jaynes via first round TKO |
| Cynthia Calvillo | 10/15/2020 | UFC 254 | 10/24/2020 | Lauren Murphy | Fight scratched - Murphy faced replacement Lilya Shakirova - Murphy won via second round submission - | UFC 255 | Calvillo lost to Katlyn Chookagian via decision at UFC 255 on November 21. |
| Rafael dos Anjos | 10/8/2020 | UFC 254 | 10/24/2020 | Islam Makhachev | Fight scratched - moved to UFC Vegas 14 on November 14, 2020 | UFC Vegas 14 | Makhachev out of UFC Vegas 14 due to staph infection, Dos Anjos fought Paul Felder. Dos Anjos won via split decision. |
| Mounir Lazzez | 10/7/2020 | UFC Fight Island 6 | 10/17/2020 | David Zawada | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Alejandro Perez | 10/3/2020 | UFC Fight Island 5 | 10/10/2020 | Thomas Almeida | Fight scratched | NA | |
| Wellington Turman | 10/1/2020 | UFC Vegas 12 | 10/31/2020 | Sean Strickland | Fight scratched - Strickland faced Jack Marshman - Strickland won via decision | NA | Scheduled to face Aliaskhab Khizriev on February 6, 2021 |
| Nate Landwehr | 9/17/2020 | UFC 253 | 9/26/2020 | Shane Young | Fight scratched - Young faced L'udovit Klein - Klein won via first round KO | NA | Was booked to face Movsar Evloev in December but fight scratched after Evloev tested positive for COVID-19 |
| Thiago Santos | 9/15/2020 | UFC Fight Island 4 | 10/4/2020 | Glover Teixeira | Fight scratched - moved to UFC Vegas 13 on November 7, 2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | Teixeira defeated Santos via third-round submission |
| Frank Camacho | 9/10/2020 | UFC Vegas 10 | 9/12/2020 | Brok Weaver | Fight scratched - Weaver faced Jalin Turner - Turner won via second round submission | NA | |
| Kevin Natividad | 9/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 9 | 9/5/2020 | Brian Kelleher | Fight scratched - Kelleher faced Ray Rodriguez - Kelleher won via first round submission | UFC Vegas 12 | Natividad lost to Miles Johns via third round knockout |
| Marco Rogerio de Lima | 9/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 9 | 9/5/2020 | Alexander Romanov | Fight scratched - rebooked for UFC Vegas 13 on November 7, 2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | De Lima lost to Romanov via first round technical submission |
| Thiago Moises | 9/5/2020 | UFC Vegas 9 | 9/5/2020 | Jalin Turner | Fight scratched - Moises booked against Bobby Green for UFC Vegas 12 on October 31, 2020 | UFC Vegas 12 | Moises defeated Green via unanimous decision |
| Cody Garbrandt | 9/4/2020 | UFC 255 | 11/21/2020 | Deiveson Figueiredo | Fight scratched - Figueiredo fought Alex Perez - Figueiredo won via first-round submission | NA | Garbrandt said he is suffering blood clots and brain fog from COVID-19 |
| Glover Teixeira | 9/4/2020 | UFC Vegas 10 | 9/12/2020 | Thiago Santos | Fight scratched - moved to UFC Fight Island 4 on October 4, 2020 | UFC Vegas 13 | Fight was scratched a second time after Santos tested positive for COVID-19 - Fight took place at UFC Vegas 13 |
| Ion Cutelaba | 8/29/2020 | UFC Vegas 8 | 8/29/2020 | Magomed Ankalaev | Fight scratched - rebooked for UFC 254 on October 24, 2020 - Ankalaev won via first-round KO | UFC 254 | Was second cancellation - Cutelaba tested positive for first matchup on August 11, 2020 |
| Nicco Montano | 8/29/2020 | UFC Fight Island 4 | 10/4/2020 | Juli Avila | Fight scratched - Mantano later withdrew from rematch due to COVID-19 travel restrictions | Possible February 6, 2021 | Booked to face Karol Rosa on February 6, 2021. |
| Giga Chikadze | 8/26/2020 | UFC Vegas 8 | 8/29/2020 | Alex Caceres | Fight scratched - Caceres faced Austin Springer - Caceres won via first-round submission | UFC Fight Island 5 | Chikadze faced Omar Morales at UFC Fight Island 5 - Chikadze won the fight via decision |
| Ovince Saint Preux | 8/22/2020 | UFC Vegas 7 | 8/22/2020 | Alonzo Menifield | Fight scratched - rebooked for UFC Vegas 9 on September 5, 2020 - Saint Preux won via second-round knockout | UFC Vegas 9 | Saint Preux defeated Menifield via second-round KO |
| Mark Striegl | 8/20/2020 | UFC Vegas 7 | 8/22/2020 | Timur Valiev | Fight scratched - Valiev faced Trevin Jones - TKO win for Jones overturned to NC after positive marijuana test | UFC Fight Island 6 | Striegl lost to Said Nurmagomedov via first-round KO on UFC Fight Island 6 card - October 18, 2020 |
| Ion Cutelaba | 8/11/2020 | UFC 252 | 8/15/2020 | Magomed Ankalaev | Fight scratched - rescheduled for UFC Vegas 8 on August 29, 2020 | UFC 254 | Tested positive a second time - fought Ankalaev on October 24 at UFC 254 - Ankalaev won via first-round KO |
| Gerald Meerschaert | 8/1/2020 | UFC Vegas 5 | 8/1/2020 | Ed Herman | Fight scratched - Meerschaert faced Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Vegas 11 - Chimaev won via first-round KO | UFC Vegas 11 | Meerschaert faced Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Vegas 11 - Chimaev won via first-round KO- September 19, 2020 |
| Viviane Araujo | 7/20/2020 | UFC Vegas 5 | 8/1/2020 | Jennifer Maia | Fight scratched - Maia faced Joanne Calderwood - Maia won via first-round submission | UFC Vegas 9 | Araujo defeated Montana De La Rosa via decision at UFC Vegas 9 on September 5, 2020 |
| Irene Aldana | 7/22/2020 | UFC Vegas 5 | 8/1/2020 | Holly Holm | Fight scratched - rescheduled for UFC Fight Island 4 on October 4, 2020 - Holm won via decision | UFC Fight Island 4 | Holm defeated Aldana via decision at UFC Fight Island 4 on October 4, 2020 |
| Anderson dos Santos | 7/3/2020 | UFC Fight Island 1 | 7/16/2020 | Jack Shore | Fight scratched - Shore faced Aaron Phillips - Shore won via second-round submission | UFC Vegas 15 | Dos Santos faced Martin Day at UFC Vegas 15 on November 28, 2020 - Dos Santos won via first-round submission |
| Vinicius Moreira | 7/3/2020 | UFC Fight Island 1 | 7/16/2020 | Modestas Bukauskas | Fight scratched - Bukauskas faced Andreas Michailidis - Bukauskas won via first-round TKO | Possible January 30, 2021 | Moreira is scheduled to face Isaac Villanueva on January 30, 2021 |
| Pedro Munhoz | 7/6/2020 | UFC Fight Island 1 | 7/16/2020 | Frankie Edgar | Fight scratched - rebooked for UFC Vegas 7 - Edgar won via split decision | UFC Vegas 7 | Edgar defeated Munhoz via split decision at UFC Vegas 7 0n August 22, 2020 |
| Alexander Romanov | 7/9/2020 | UFC 251 | 7/11/2020 | Marcin Tybura | Fight scratched - Tybura faced Maxim Grishin - Tybura won via decision | UFC Vegas 13 | Romanov faced Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC Vegas 13 on November 7, 2020 - Romanov won via technical submission in first round |
| Gilbert Burns | 7/3/2020 | UFC 251 | 7/11/2020 | Kamaru Usman | Fight scratched - Usman faced Jorge Masvidal - Usman won via decision | Booked UFC 258 | Usman defeated Burns by KO at UFC 258 on February 13, 2021 |
| Ronaldo Souza | 5/8/2020 | UFC 249 | 5/9/2020 | Uriah Hall | Fight scratched- not rescheduled | UFC 256 | Souza lost to Kevin Holland at UFC 256 on December 12, 2020 via first-round knockout |
| Lyman Good | 4/4/2020 | UFC 249 | 5/9/2020 | Belal Muhammad | Fight scratched - rescheduled for UFC Vegas 3 on June 20, 2020- Muhammad won via decision | UFC Vegas 3 | Muhammad defeated Good via decision |
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