Paul Varelans, a fighter from the beginning years of the UFC, passed away recently following a month-long battle with COVID-19. Varelans, 51, was a frequent fighter in the beginning years of the UFC. Dave Doyle of MMA Junkie confirmed the news on Saturday night.
The news of Varelan’s passing comes following previous updates about his struggles with COVID-19. It was reported in December that Varelans was put on a ventilator due to his battle with the virus.
Varelans competed in the UFC back when the promotion was heavily focused on one-night tournaments and emphasized the battle of different arts against one another.
Being billed as a wrestler, Varelans competed in four one-night UFC tournaments from 1995 to 1996. His most notable performance was at UFC 7, where he defeated Gerry Harris and Mark Hall to advance into the grand finals of the bracket against Marco Ruas.
Varelans lost in the finals against Ruas, being stopped in the 14th minute due to strikes.
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