One man’s neck herpes is another promotion’s treasure.
It seemed a little strange a few weeks back when Paul Bradley (6-0) signed a contract to fight under the Elite XC banner. At the time he was still a middleweight contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 for the UFC.
Then I saw the new format for the show and found out 16 of the fighters were going to be sent home before even being on the show; therefore, I figured he was just going to be one of those guys.
When he defeated Reggie Orr on the first episode I was shocked, but at the same time intrigued by the possibilities of what he could be kicked off the show for. There was even more reason to be excited when the clips for next weeks episode after the second show had UFC President Dana White teasing, “You name it and I’ve kicked a guy off the show for it, but I’ve never kicked a guy out for this.”
It was pretty obvious that the guy getting kicked off the show was going to be Bradley, which was not surprising. I was however surprised and a bit grossed out by the outbreak on his neck. It didn’t look as bad as they were making it out to be, but when the word herpes starts getting thrown around you have to question eight weeks of training with the guy … let alone sharing a kitchen and bathroom with him.
It turns out his “outbreak” was not the same as a souvenir from a drunken night in Tijuana. In fact, it was the “other” kind of herpes. Here’s a quote from Bradley in a recent interview with MMAJunkie.com:
“Type one is the sexually contracted version, and the second version isn’t and is like the cold sores people get. It’s actually really common in wrestling. I can think of three guys right now who are in the UFC that have the exact same thing. I know that for a fact, and I’m willing to bet 50 percent of the fighters out there have it. I actually saw a doctor that morning, and he cleared me to fight. He said two days on meds, and I’d be cleared up and good to go. Dana calls me in and has his close friend there, looks me over, and then they make up their own mind. Here’s the thing. Once it’s broken out, it won’t be given to anyone. I was told that in two or three days, that it won’t be a problem at all. I was sent home, and sure enough on Friday, I was absolutely fine.”
It was a tough break for the former collegiate wrestler, but good news was not far behind. Shortly after leaving the show he inked the deal with Gary Shaw and Elite XC.
Here’s a snip from Bradley on his future with Elite XC:
“They took a chance on me and signed me. They’ve been nothing but great. All of their articles on [ProElite.com] have been great. It’s not like I’m taking a step down in competition. Frank Shamrock, (Robbie) Lawler and all these great middleweights they have. I have my hands full just as much as I would have with the UFC. I’m very happy with EliteXC and looking forward to showing them they made a good choice. Right now, we’re trying to get on the undercard of the June 14 card in Hawaii. I’m scheduled to go to Hawaii in the next few weeks to train with B.J. Penn, so it’d be great to have a fight there right after that.”
Things certainly turned around nicely for him after his embarrassing departure from TUF. He’s undefeated in his young mixed martial arts career and he’ll get his chance to prove himself against some tough competition in Elite XC for sure.
Good luck, Paul.
23 Comments »
That shit on yo Neck, has got some shit on its Neck! lol
I would not fight with this Herpe infested idiot.
There’s another article where he tried defending himself with the herpes
50% of the fighters out there have it? Then why would everyone act like they never seen it before? They must personally hate your guts and want to make up a reason to kick you out.
I’d rather think they did it because of the herpes.
Keep reaching Shaw. Keep reaching and you’ll pull something. atleast I sure hope so.
Once again left over scraps going to Elite and then talking trash. Hes got his “hands full” of B and C level fighters.
First time I’ve heard of this kind of herpes and its not something I’d want to get… but you got to sympathise with the guy, I mean he picked it up off a dirty mat, that shit sucks, especially if it kicks in just as your getting the biggest chance of your life, could have been career ruining.
Glad to see he’s got signed although he’ll carry the stigma around for a long time though.
Lets just hope those of us that train don’t have to start picking sparring partners like we’d have to pick our women.
Wait…. this is Mr Lay and Pray isn’t it? The only dull fight winner… oh well, no big loss then. Still sucks for him though.
Type 1 and Type 2. I have type 2, but have only had one outbreak my whole life, just a cold sore. You dont wanna have type 1.
yeah, there are alot of people with type 2..any type of cold sore, fever blister, anything like that is considered herpes virus..its not all the std, and yes alot of wrestlers have it, just like ring worm..its something that can always just reappear
HSV 1 usually establishes latency in the trigeminal ganglion, a collection of nerve cells found near the ears. Recurring outbreaks will generally occur around the mouth or facial region. HSV 2 usually establishes latency in the sacral ganglion, a collection of nerves found at the lower base of the spine. HSV-2 recurring outbreaks will generally occur in the genital region.
Course the site I pulled that from could be wrong. herpesonline.com
Wrong!!
HSV2 is Genital Herpes
HSV1 is Oral Herpes
Both are equally contagious and each can be passed sexually or with cntact with he active sores,whilst I agree they had to send Paul Bradley home due to him having an active outbreak,the chances of him spreading it at any other time is slim,it is possible to pass it during “non active” times but a lot less likely and it IS true that many fighters have Herpes,I guess Paul Bradley was just unfortunate that his “cold sore” broke out at that time and he had to suffer the indignity of being made feel like a leper by his Co fighters very sad and very unfair way to treat someone with a VERY common skin complaint be it HSV1 or HSV2 a very large percentage of the population have it it’s as high as 80% many have no symptoms so believe they DON’T have it,the only way to know for sure is to be tested …..so my question would be “do these fighters ALL get tested for herpes” or do the coaches just rely on seeing an outbreak ?? I’m sure if they were tested many more would sent home like some dirty individual as was poor Paul Bradley …. it’s high time society educated themselves on Herpes instead of attaching the “stigma” that it is something dreadful,it’s a skin condition albeit a contagious one,it will not be passed to anyone if he person excercises caution during an outbreak,it’s that simple!! … so if anyone reading this has ever had a cold sore then trust me YOU too have Herpes so lets all quit with the nasty stuff and have a little more sympathy for those who suffer from this from time to time.
All these great middleweights like Shamrock, Lawler and ahhhh….ummmmm…….ahhhhh……….
and the UFC has Silva, Franklin and ummm ahhh ummm?
Frank Shamrock and Robbie Lawler are left overs from the UFC, they are not top fighters, EliteXC doesn’t have the same quality of fighters.
You’re crazy. They have Cung Le, Ninja Rua, Lawler would reign terror in the UFC, and Shamrock is as great as they come if he doesn’t have to go past 2 rounds.
that was quick. even if he loses the battle with a fighter he’ll win the war because a couple weeks after the fight his opponent will have contracted the herpes. Paul should be riding his bike, hiking, and laying in hammocks on sunny days with the rest of peope that have herpes instead of possibly spreading it throught the already thin exc MW division.
Good stuff. I’m happy for him. I guess Rampage was right, everything happens for a reason.
I’ve never been a big believer of that mentality but many things in the past few months have made me think otherwise.
Thank god UFC 83 is tomorrow. I can’t wait to get this thing over with. All this media hype and talk has drained me out.
DONT DO IT BJ!!!! Last thing we need is BJ “The Herpie” Penn cause of some unproven up and commer.
Who would even want to fight him? Maybe he’ll pass it on to Gary Shaw.
Bradleys a good guy, and it was unfortunate he had to leave the show, I wish him luck with his career
I wonder what wrestlers/MMA fighters Paul Bradley was talking about with his interview with FiveOuncesOfPain when he said he knew a lot that had Herpes Gladiatorum that compete in the world of MMA. He said it was a common thing. I’m guessing quite a few guys of out the Miletich camp have it as well since that’s who he trained with before he went to C-4 MMA. Seems like Dana would do anything to not let the news get out that someone like Matt Hughes has it. Could this be a bigger up-coming issue in the world of MMA? It doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal if its really that common.
There’s no way that the chosen one, Matt Hughseus Christ could contract something like that! Hahaha.
“Matt Hugheseus Christ”!!… classic
According to The American Social Health Association, under a microscope HSV 1 and HSV 2 are virtually identical, sharing approximately 50% of their DNA. Both types infect the mucosal surfaces of the body — most often the mouth or the genitals and then establish latency in the nervous system. For both types, it is estimated that two thirds of those infected have no noticeable symptoms or no symptoms at all. Studies have show that both viruses can be spread when there are no symptoms present.
I think he has the hsv1, and hsv2 backwards too. I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to fight him.