Rodolfo Bellato Details Infection Forcing Paul Craig Matchup to UFC Atlanta

O Rodolfo Bellato se pronunciou publicamente e explicou o motivo de não ter lutado no #ufcvegas106 pic.twitter.com/fGE9H0gwJF

— Ag. Fight (@AgFight) May 18, 2025

Cold sores are still a point of contention in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

At UFC Vegas 106 in May, the light heavyweight match between Rodolfo Bellato (12-2) and Paul Craig (17-9) was scuttled on fight night due to a medical issue suffered by Bellato. “Trator” recently detailed exactly what happened that night, causing the bout to shift to UFC Atlanta in June.

According to Bellato, he told Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight has always had a hereditary cold sore problem. Despite a lifelong struggle with the ailment, it hadn’t troubled him in some time. However, the Brazilian unexpectedly woke up with cold sores on his face on the day of the fight against “Bearjew.” While some criticized Bellato for not detecting the problem on time, the 29-year-old is just taking it as another lesson.

“I hadn’t had it for a long time,” Bellato explained through Google Translate. “I always knew I had [cold sores]. My mother has it, my father has it, and it hadn’t happened for a long time. I know it’s not something that can be cured, but I said, ‘I haven’t had it for so long, why would it happen now?’ On the day of the fight, when I woke up, I felt that itch in my mouth and said, ‘It’s not possible.’ And there in Vegas, the weather is really dry, my mouth was already all cracked. I think it all came together.”

The Brazilian continued, “I did my part, I trained, I did everything I had to do, but this is not something you can predict. I saw a lot of people saying that I could have predicted it, taken a medicine. After it happens, it’s easy to talk about it. After years, I never imagined it would happen. So, it was another learning experience in my career.”

Bellato earned his contract on Dana White's Contender Series and scored a wild comeback win over Ihor Potieria in his UFC debut in 2023. Bellato was then forced out of a matchup against Oumar Sy due to kidney inflammation that saw him sidelined throughout 2024. Bellato returned to action at UFC 312 in February, fighting to a draw with Jimmy Crute. Meanwhile, Craig looks to rebound from a three fight slump this weekend, albeit all of those losses coming against elite opposition.