The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday handed heavyweight
Ilir
Latifi a temporary suspension for competing with a staph
infection at UFC
Fight Night 211.
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Latifi initially revealed the ailment during a post-fight interview
following a unanimous decision victory against Alexey
Oleynik on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
“Even this week, my leg is swollen. I didn’t even tell my coaches,
but I got a staph infection two days ago,” Latifi said in the cage. “As you can see, my leg is all swollen. It’s an amazing sport, but
the margins are so small. You put in so much work, and this thing
happens the last day. Today, actually when I woke up, my leg was
swollen. I was like, ‘I can’t cancel again.’ So I had to fight like
this with a fever and a staph infection. That’s part of being a
fighter.”
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As a result of that revelation, Latifi
will not be allowed to compete until he reaches an agreement with
the NSAC on a punishment. During a meeting on Tuesday, the
commission called Latifi’s decision to knowingly compete with a
staph infection “risky.” Latifi also revealed in his post-fight
interview that the win over Oleynik was the last fight on his UFC
contract, so its unclear what the future might hold for the
Allstars Training Center product.
The 39-year-old Latifi began his Octagon tenure at light
heavyweight before transitioning to the heavyweight division in
2020. After falling to Derrick
Lewis at UFC 247 in February 2020, “The Sledgehammer” has
rebounded to post back-to-back victories against Tanner
Boser and Oleynik.