UFC lightweight contender Alexander Hernandez admits that he may have contracted the coronavirus from his head coach, but still planned on fighting anyway.

Hernandez was set to fight Islam Makhachev at the original UFC 249 card in Brooklyn in what would have been one of the biggest fights of his career to date. When the coronavirus pandemic meant that travel restrictions around the world were tightened, the UFC called upon Omar Morales to fight Hernandez instead, at the rescheduled card in Tachi Palace.

Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Hernandez admitted that it may have been a good thing he didn’t end up fighting because he believes he was infected with the coronavirus. According to “The Great,” his head coach tested positive for COVID-19, and Hernandez believes he also had it, though he never ended up actually getting tested for the coronavirus.

“My own head coach fell out at one point. He got sick. I thought I caught some sh*t at some point where I just had to fight through it and train. Every time I’d start revving up again, I’d get just insanely nauseous and extremely hot. Getting tested is difficult, so I don’t really worry about that sh*t. It seemed like we were all kind of dropping at one point,” Hernandez said.

“(My head coach) did have it and I was breathing that dude’s air, so maybe. Yeah, maybe I did, but I just f*cked it up, dude. I’m not worried about it. I had to get ready for a fight. I said that’s what I was going to do, and that’s what I did. I’m in the best shape of my life, and I’m ready to take on whatever challenge. I’m ready to take on any opponent that’s available in the states.”

Thankfully it appears that Hernandez has fully recovered, but perhaps it’s a good thing that UFC 249 ended up getting scrapped so he didn’t have the chance to potentially spread the coronavirus in the case that he did indeed have it.

Do you think Alexander Hernandez should have competed at UFC 249?