Ilir Latifi targets February return to UFC after serious eye injury that left him ‘totally blind’ for weeks

MMA News
Ilir Latifi targets February return to UFC after serious eye injury that left him ‘totally blind’ for weeks

LAS VEGAS – Ilir Latifi thinks his fighting career is on borrowed time after it was nearly brought to an end by injury.

Latifi (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC), who earned a split decision win over Tanner Boser at UFC Fight Night 189 in June, suffered a serious eye injury the bout due to a poke. It caused significant damage, and put his fighting future at risk.

There was legitimate fear the UFC heavyweight would never be able to fight again, especially in the immediate aftermath when his vision was completely compromised.

“There was a big possibility (I would never fight again),” Latifi recently told MMA Junkie. “I got totally blind for three or four weeks. They didn’t really know how much of my eyesight would come back. I just had to be positive and do what the doctors say.”

Latifi said he followed the guidelines of medical professionals to a tee. The entire process was “shocking,” he said, but being patient with the situation ultimately allowed it to heal.

It’s been more than six months since the fight with Boser, and Latifi has received clearance to train and accept a fight.

Latifi, 38, said he’s already verbally agreed to a matchup, but nothing is set in stone at this moment and he didn’t want to speak publicly on it. “The Sledgehammer” is just happy he gets to step back in the octagon again, though, because there was a time he worried it would never happen again.

“I had a pretty bad eye injury, but I’m back getting ready and soon back in the octagon again,” Latifi said. “Probably February. There’s an opponent, but it’s nothing official yet.”

Ilir Latifi targets February return to UFC after serious eye injury that left him ‘totally blind’ for weeks