By Scott McDonald
Deputy Night Editor
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Paul Varelans was one of the early performers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) series during the mid 1990s. Last December, the mixed martial artist and former wrestler became very ill, so he went to get tested for COVID-19. A few days later, he posted to social media that he tested positive.
Things took a turn for the worse, and he was put on a ventilator. On Saturday night, Varelans died from COVID complications. Reports surfaced from several social media outlets, including the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Encyclopedia and MMA Junkie.
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Varelans got the nickname "The Polar Bear" for his hulking physique. He was a heavyweight fighter who stood 6-foot, 8-inches tall and weighed 300 pounds. He chronicled his illness on social media until he was ultimately put into a medically-induced coma.
"I have never felt so sick in my life, going to get tested today," he wrote on December 10. Three days later, he resurfaced to announce his positive diagnosis, saying "feel like hell."
The next day—December 14—he described his feeling as being punched in the kidneys multiple times by a great fighter.
"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. They never stop coming."
...
The next day, he was induced into a coma.
One week before Christmas, he was put on a ventilator.
"Paul Varelans... (The Polar Bear)... has been diagnosed with Covid 19. He's on a ventilator and struggling. I urge everyone in the MMA world, to say a quick prayer for Paul. God speed...!!!," UFC co-founder Art Davie wrote last month.
Paul Varelans... (The Polar Bear)... has been diagnosed with Covid 19. He's on a ventilator and struggling. I urge everyone in the MMA world, to say a quick prayer for Paul. God speed...!!!
Varelans was born in Alaska and played college football at San Jose State University in California. He began fighting in UFC during 1995, and he had eight fights between 1995-96, going 4-4 in those matches. He moved on the MMA and had a 9-9 career record, according to bloodyelbow.com.
He was part of the old tournament formats competing in UFC 6 and UFC 7. When he made his debut at UFC 6 in 1995, he became a legend by using his elbow to knock out Cal Worsham in just 62 seconds during the quarterfinals. Valerans lost in a technical knockout by Tank Abbott in those semifinals.
The next year at UFC 7, he made it all the way to the finals, winning by submission in the quarterfinals and semifinals over Gerry Harris and Mark Hall. He lost the championship that year to Marco Raus.
Valerans had a brief stint in the ECW wrestling circuit later in 1996.
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