Jiu Jitsu black belt Craig Jones, 29, announced on Instagram that he is unable to fight Tye Ruotolo after suffering a bad reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine causing his stomach to build up with fluid.
Jones was set to fight Ruotolo at the Who’s Number One event on April 30 in Austin, Texas before he announced on Instagram that COVID-19 vaccine-related health issues would be preventing him from training and competing.
“I’m out guys. One of the unlucky ones that had an adverse reaction to the Covid Vaccine. I won’t bore you with all my symptoms but ended up carrying a bunch of fluid around my stomach and can’t train let alone compete,” said Jones. The post contained images and video of Jones’ bloated stomach so viewers could see the vaccine reaction for themselves.
The unsettling video can be seen in the third file uploaded to Instagram post below. Viewer discretion is advised.
View this post on Instagram
As a result of Jones being unable to fight in the main event due to his reaction to the vaccine, Rafael Lovato Jr vs Gilbert Burns was moved to the main event with Tye Ruotolo set to fight William Tackett in the new co main event.
The news comes shortly after Joe Rogan suggested on his podcast that young, healthy Americans should not take the COVID-19 vaccine, noting that the potential side effects of the vaccine may outweigh the risks of contracting COVID-19, as National File reported.
“I can tell you as someone who, both my children got the virus, it was nothing. I hate to say that if someone’s children died from this, I’m very sorry that that happened, I’m not in any way diminishing that. But I’m saying, the personal experience that my children had with COVID was nothing. One of the kids had a headache, the other one didn’t feel good for a couple days.” He added, “No coughing, no aching, no in agony, there was none of that. It was very mild, it was akin to them getting a cold.”
Spotify’s Joe Rogan encourages "healthy" young people not to get a coronavirus vaccine. His show is Spotify's most popular podcast.
“If you're like 21 years old, and you say to me, should I get vaccinated? I'll go no.” pic.twitter.com/5dX98xUaHS
— Alex Paterson (@AlexPattyy) April 27, 2021
Reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine have left some with skin peeling off, fatal blood clotting, and potential neurodegenerative disease, causing widespread vaccine hesitancy among Americans. Polls indicate that at least one out of five Americans say they will not be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine despite the Biden Administration’s expensive advertisement campaign urging people to get vaccinated.
An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to Jones as a UFC fighter. Jones dabbled in MMA after being exposed to the UFC, but ultimately decided to pursue a career in pure Jiu Jitsu.
