Ilir Latifi Temporarily Suspended for Competing with Staph Infection

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.

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.”

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

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.