UFC star banned for three months for failing to disclose highly-contagious potentially lethal disease

ILIR LATIFI has been suspended for three months after he failed to disclose a potentially life-threatening skin infection.

The heavyweight fighter, 39, defeated Aleksei Oleinik by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 61.

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Latifi defeated Oleinik in October but was suspended afterward for not announcing he had a skin infection[/caption]

And after the October fight, the Swede admitted that he had a staph infection but didn’t disclose this to his coach.

Latifi revealed: “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.

“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.”

Nevada Athletic Commission presented the ban after Latifi withheld the information before the fight.

The decision was determined to be “potentially life-threatening” as a Staph infection can have fatal effects.

Latifi will eligible to compete again in 2023.

He has been told to pay over £300 in legal fees to resolve the case.

Meanwhile, Conor McGregor has announced plans to make his eagerly-anticipated return to the UFC “early” next year.

The MMA superstar is in the final stages of recovering from the horrific broken leg he suffered in his trilogy fight with rival Dustin Poirier last July.