Fans are worried Israel Adesanya is battling a staph infection just hours before his UFC title fight against Alex Pereira.
Middleweight champion Adesanya makes the sixth defence of his title in the headlining act of UFC 281 in New York against former kickboxing rival Pereira tonight. 'The Last Stylebender' lost a controversial decision to Pereira in 2016 and was brutally knocked out in their rematch the following year as he looks to avenge his past defeats in the first meeting in the octagon.
Adesanya successfully made the 185lb limit on Friday for his title fight, but fans were quick to spot an odd-looking mark on his leg after weighing in. It's unclear what the mark is as it appears to be a wound that has healed over to form a scab, but some users think it could be staph as one wrote: "If it is a staph infection that is a nasty dose of it judging by the size of it." Another agreed by commenting: "Looks like a healing staph infection."
It's not a rare occurrence for fighters to compete with an active staph infection, as UFC light-heavyweight Ilir Latifi admitted he fought whilst battling one after beating Alexey Oleynik last month. Latifi received a temporary suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for competing with the infection.
A third user theorised the mark could have come from Adesanya injuring his leg whilst throwing a kick training, writing: "Could be staph or maybe he just busted his shin training. A shin on shin kick will do that sometimes." Another user agreed, adding: "That’s what I was thinking. Might be a scar from throwing a lot of leg kicks. A lot of boxers have permanently discoloured knuckles."
What do you think the mark on Israel Adesanya's leg is from? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
Staph infections, which are caused by staphylococcus bacteria, often clear up with a course of antibiotic medication but can be fatal if not properly treated. The infection can also be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, which is why Latifi was handed a suspension for competing as the commission deemed it "behaviour that cannot be tolerated”.
A final user believes the New York commission would step in if they were concerned by the mark on Adesanya's leg as they wrote: "Wouldn't the commission say something about this? This is not the first post I’ve seen regarding staph, but that s*** is super contagious. I don't know why they would willingly let someone transfer that to other fighters."
