Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka revealed he had a staph infection before competing in the main event of UFC 295 in November 2023.
Prochazka, appearing on The MMA Hour on January 15, was resolute in his defeat to Alex Pereira, but revealed he had suffered from an infection before accepting the bout:
"[It was the small details] which was the main thing in that fight," Prochazka explained. "I'm very happy that that fight [reminded me] of these mistakes because more than everything I like to make myself better in fighting; in life; in everything...
"... There was many f***-ups in preparation. ....Because the staph [infection]," Prochazka revealed. "After the fight I fought with that [the infection] more than one month. About five weeks before the fight was totally --- yeah," Prochazka looked dejected.
Procazka revealed the infection started on his leg until it started to travel through his bloodstream, affecting his ear.
Staph is a very common occurrence in combat sports, especially grappling arts as it can be transferred by skin-to-skin contact. The infection can be caught through open wounds like cuts or abrasions when rolling on sweaty mats or grappling with training partners. The flesh-eating bacteria is usually reason enough to cancel a fight and raises an ethical argument on whether fighters should feel forced to compete with such a serious and contagious affliction.
It was only in early 2023 when MMA fighter Tim Schultz was at risk of amputation because of a staph infection suffered after a training mishap in Thailand. The Aussie's condition was exacerbated by medical mistreatment and the bacteria had his leg down to the bone. Fortunately, a fundraiser for Schultz was put into effect and he was able to get professional treatment to save the limb.
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