Paul Varelans, who competed on some of the earliest UFC cards, has passed away after a battle with COVID-19. ESPN reports that Varelans passed away on Saturday, just over a month after he announced via Twitter that he had contracted the virus on December 12th. UFC co-founder Art Davie noted on December 17th that Varelans had been put in a medically-induced coma and placed on a ventilator in the ICU. It appears he did not recover and his girlfriend Kim Watson has confirmed passed on Saturday. He was 51.
Varelans fought on several early UFC shows, first competing at UFC 6 where he had two fights: a win against Cal Worsham and a loss to Tank Abbott. He made it to the finals of a tournament at UFC 7, where he lost to Marco Ruas after 13 minutes.
Early UFC fighter Paul Varelans dies at 51 due to COVID-19
Paul Varelans, a well-known name from the UFC s early days, died Saturday after a battle with COVID-19, his live-in girlfriend, Kim Watson, confirmed to ESPN on Monday. He was 51 years old.
Varelans was admitted in December to Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta with coronavirus and was subsequently put into a medically induced coma, Watson said. On Friday, family and friends were told Varelans didn t have much time left. News of Varelans death circulated Saturday on Facebook. After a solid month of fighting off COVID while in a coma on various machinery fighting off multiple infections Paul s body finally grew exhausted, close friend Shane Viens wrote on Facebook. Anyone that truly knew Paulie knew he was all heart. A fighter to his core he was not one to give up and he [gave] us his all. He left us [Saturday] morning. I was able to tell him I loved him one last time on speaker phone.
UFC pioneer Paul Varelans dies at 51 following battle with COVID-19
Share this story
UFC pioneer Paul Varelans has died at the age of 51 following a battle with COVID-19.
“The Polar Bear” had been on a ventilator and receiving dialysis treatments before he was eventually placed into a medically induced coma. Sadly, Varelans never recovered, and he passed away this past weekend in Atlanta.
In mid-December, Varelans had posted on social media that he contracted the coronavirus, adding “I feel like hell.” Later, he wrote, “best way I can compare the feel of COVID-19 in my experience is it’s like fighting a guy who specializes in kidney punches.”