Rodrigues Reveals Herpes Outbreak Before UFC Sacramento

Gregory Rodrigues disclosed he fought through a herpes outbreak in the weeks before his UFC Sacramento main event victory over Anthony Hernandez.

The No. 7-ranked middleweight posted an Instagram caption detailing multiple health setbacks during camp, including the outbreak, a dislocated finger that sent him to hospital, a locked-up back, and a weakened immune system. He later scrubbed the herpes reference from the post, replacing it with the phrase "a lot of infections outbreak," according to MMA Mania.

What Rodrigues Said About His Pre-Fight Struggles

"Three weeks before the fight, I dislocated my finger during sparring and ended up in the hospital," Rodrigues wrote in the original caption. "My back locked up, I had a herpes outbreak, I got sick, my immune system weakened, I felt pressure coming from every direction, and so many thoughts tried to stop me."

It remains unclear whether the outbreak was active during fight week or if UFC and California State Athletic Commission officials knew about it. Suspected contagious skin infections can pull fighters from cards. Earlier this month, Jessie Rosas was removed from UFC Vegas 120 after a doctor suspected a forehead mark could be herpes. In May 2025, Rodolfo Bellato had his fight against Paul Craig canceled on event day because of a herpes infection.

Rodrigues stopped 26 of Hernandez's 29 takedown attempts and dropped him three times on his way to a unanimous decision at Golden 1 Center on Aug. 22. The Brazilian has won four straight since losing a main event to Jared Cannonier and has called out former champion Dricus du Plessis for his next fight.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Whoops? Wrecked RoboCop accidentally leaks (then deletes) pre-fight herpes outbreak following UFC Sacramento