P. Borrachinha is out of the fight against R. Whittaker, which would take place on April 17th. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Out of the match against Robert whittaker, in a fight that would take place on April 17, Paulo borrachinha opened up about the illness that took him out of the event. In an interview with 'Portal do Vale Tudo' and 'Ag.Fight', the Brazilian ruled out the possibility of having Covid-19 and spoke about his current health condition. Recently, Kelvin Gastelum confirmed that he will replace the miner at next month's show.
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“I had Covid-19 on New Year's Eve from 2020 to 2021. It wasn't even very serious, at least for me. We were training 'nicely', calmly. I didn't even know I had Covid and I was training. Then I took a test and saw that I was, but I was no longer 'contagious'. This 'virus' now has nothing to do with it,” he said.
Known for always promoting high-level training, Paulo revealed that his current illness made it impossible for him to continue his preparation for the clash against Robert. The athlete then detailed how he felt after being infected.
“I had to rest. I couldn't train, really. (…) She caught several people. The doctor himself said: 'It's a virus. It has nothing to do with Covid-19'. (…) You become weakened. I tried to continue training with it (the disease). The UFC people even came to record, to promote the fight with Whittaker. I went one day, so as not to leave people without recording anything, I trained and, at night, it was horrible. On the other two days, I wasn't able to go to the gym to record. It was very strong.
Aiming to regain his status as a challenger for the middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg), the Brazilian stated that he even asked his personal doctor when he could return to active duty. The athlete then suggested two dates, without knowing that Ultimate was already negotiating a replacement.
“I'm already training, but much lighter than normal. (…) I can't train hard. I'm in the recovery phase. To fight now is not ideal. The ideal is two more weeks. (…) I spoke to Wallid (Ismail, the Minas Gerais manager), we can fight on May 1st and May 8th. (…) I asked the doctor, the physiologist, when I would be able to fight without any symptoms of the flu. He said: '15 more days'. (…) I saw in the fight against (Israel) Adesanya that you can’t fight ‘more or less”, he said.
Finally, Borrachinha was asked about an alternative opponent for his next commitment. The miner avoided naming a name, but suggested a profile.
“If Whittaker doesn’t fight me, I don’t know. I think the better ranked, the better”, he concluded.
On the night of last Tuesday (16), Kelvin Gastelum, who offered to take Paulo's place, confirmed that he will face Robert in the Brazilian's place. The athlete, who is looking to recover in the category, released the information on social media.
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