Ilir Letifi was temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, after admitting that he had a staph infection during his last bout at the UFC.
Latifi mentioned the staph infection during his post-fight interview following a win over Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Vegas 61.
“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. “As you can see here, my leg is all swollen. Although it’s amazing, the rewards are very small. This is the end result of all your hard work.
“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.”
Staphylococcus bacteria can cause serious health issues, and death , if they are not properly treated. Other athletes are at risk from staph infections due to contact with other people.
The Nevada Commission condemned Latifi’s behavior as “behavior which cannot be tolerated”, but stated that they had been in touch with Latifi, a veteran heavyweight, who expressed regret about his decision not to fight with a staph infection.
Latifi was temporarily removed from competition while he negotiates with the commission on possible punishments. Latifi may face additional suspension and/or fines by the commission.
Following his win, Latifi also revealed that his fight with Oleinik was the final bout on his current UFC contract, and he wasn’t sure what was next for him in the future while also hinting that retirement could be on the horizon.
“I turned 40 now and I don’t know what happens after this,” Latifi said. I wanted to express my gratitude to UFC. It’s been an amazing run. It’s been some glorious fights and some ups and downs but there’s an end to every story. We’ll see what happens after this.”
For now, Latifi will have to wait for an adjudication agreement with the Nevada Commission is reached before he can even attempt to compete again.
