UFC's Jimmie Rivera Says He, Wife Samantha Tested Positive for COVID-19

UFC bantamweight fighter Jimmie Rivera and his wife, Samantha, both tested positive for COVID-19.

Rivera told ESPN's Ariel Helwani (h/t ESPN's Marc Raimondi) that he tested positive in April before Samantha's test revealed another confirmed case a few weeks afterward.

Rivera told Helwani that his symptoms included stomach issues, a fever, a bad backache and fatigue.

"We weren't training at the time, because everything was closed down," Rivera said. "It was just brand new with COVID. I didn't have it that bad. I had it bad for like three days, and then I was fine afterward. But then at the same time, I do work out all the time."

Samantha's symptoms were more severe, with bad fatigue, a dry cough and respiratory issues. Rivera said his wife had a "very slow process with recovering."

Rivera, the No. 9-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, holds a 22-4 professional record, with four wins by knockout. The 30-year-old New Jersey native is 6-3 in the UFC.

Three UFC fighters have tested positive for COVID-19: Rivera, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Lyman Good.

Rivera and Good are teammates for Tiger Schulmann, and Rivera noted that he believes his case may be related to Good's since the two worked together for online videos for students.

The Riveras have recovered from COVID-19, however, and now the bantamweight is looking forward to his next fight, which he hopes will be in August against Marlon "Chito" Vera. He was scheduled to fight Vera in February.

"I've been training for 'Chito' Vera for the past three weeks or a month now," Rivera said. "... I've been training for it, I've been working with tall guys, and I've been looking forward to it."

Vera is 15-6-1 as a professional. He won five straight fights before losing to Song Yadong in May.