Ilir Latifi suspended for not disclosing life-threatening disease

UFC star Ilir Latifi has been banned for three months for not disclosing a potentially life-threatening skin infection to commission doctors.

Latifi beat Aleksei Oleinik by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 61 back in October. Following the fight, he admitted that he had an infection but didn’t inform his coach before the bout.

“Even this week you see my leg is all swollen, I didn’t even tell my coaches but I’ve got a staph infection two days ago,” Latifi said.

“It’s an amazing sport but the margins are so small. You put in so much work and this thing happens on the last day.

“Today when I woke up, my leg was swollen and I was like ‘I can’t cancel again’ so I had to fight like this with a fever and a staph infection but that’s part of being a fighter.”

Latifi was suspended by Nevada Athletic Commission for failing to report that he suffered from Staph infection, a disease that can have fatal effects.

This means that Latifi, who is expected to pay over 350 euros in legal fees, will be able to fight again in 2023.