Dana White reveals his reaction after Daniel Cormier tested positive for COVID-19 before UFC 252

Daniel Cormier recently revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 six weeks before his UFC 252 fight against Stipe Miocic, where he finally retired. While Daniel Cormier wasn't particularly sick, a fitness tracking device called the 'Oura Ring' helped alert him to the fact that something wasn't right.

Daniel Cormier told Yahoo! Sports that the entire situation started when one of his teammates tested positive for COVID-19. While this prompted him and his entire circle involved in the camp to take tests, the initial results came out negative.

What struck Daniel Cormier as odd was the fact that he started feeling unusually fatigued, and it poured onto his training sessions.

The Oura Ring alerted Daniel Cormier to the fact that he needed to take a step back, and he told his coaches about his condition before visiting a doctor and testing positive for COVID-19.

Speaking to the media after DWCS Season 4: Week 7, Dana White admitted that he was worried when he found out that Daniel Cormier tested positive for COVID-19, but was given reassurances. (H/T MMAFighting):

“I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t worried when [I found] out he had COVID,” White told reporters. “I was worried, but the doctors said he’s 100 percent healthy, he’s fine. He’ll get through this, and he’ll be able to continue to train.”

Daniel Cormier offered no excuses for his UFC 252 defeat

In the same interview with Yahoo! Sports, Daniel Cormier made no excuses about his defeat to Stipe Miocic. He described the Heavyweight Champion's performance as "beautiful" but stated that had it not been for the Oura Ring, he would likely have pushed through.

Had he done that, UFC 252's main event would likely have been scrapped. Daniel Cormier told ESPN that he spent around $5000 for three different tests and tested positive thrice between July 12th and 22nd. Three weeks before UFC 252, the result came back negative.

Ultimately, this didn't delay his overall sparring for more than a few days. Regardless, he pushed through and fought an incredible fight, falling short to the undisputed greatest heavyweight of all time in Stipe Miocic.