It’s been 19 months or so since the MMA world has seen Alan Omer in action.
It turns out there was a really, really good reason why. Doctors found an abnormality with Omer’s brain, he announced Saturday, ahead of a previous fight booking. Ultimately, it was discovered that issue was a tumor.
But Omer said the tumor recently was removed – and he has a massive scar from the top of this head down past the back of his left ear to account for it. The 33-year-old native of Kurdistan, who fights out of Germany, said the tumor was removed in full.
Omer said he’s even started training again – and he’s planning an MMA return with what he says will be the “greatest comeback in the history of MMA.”
Omer was signed by the UFC in 2014 with an 18-3 record, but dropped a split decision to Jim Alers in his promotional debut in Abu Dhabi. He returned 14 months later, but was submitted by Arnold Allen and had to look for fights outside the UFC.
He went 5-0 over the span of a little more than three years, and in late October he hooked up with Bellator and picked up a first-round knockout win over Ryan Scope at Bellator 248.
His follow-up was set for Bellator 258, which also would’ve been his U.S. debut. And though online databases say an injury to opponent Bryce Logan was the reason he didn’t fight at the event, Omer said he wasn’t cleared by doctors ahead of the fight – which forced him to get serious about figuring out what the problem was.
Check out Omer’s complete post below:
“Its time for me to speak out after a long time of restraint. Sometimes life hits you with a big smash on your face, you have to accept and even appreciate it.
Its been hard time for me.
In the peak of my life and my career I have been diagnosed with a braintumor.
At a routine check for my Bellator Debut on September 2020, something abnormal has been spotted in my brain. I didn’t have any symptons and first assumption was an edema. After long discussions I still got medical clearance to fight under the condition of complete clarification after the fight. Therefore, I am all the more proud of my performance and the sensational victory at that fight.After the fight I went to routine checks, nothing changed on the MRI. 2021 I planned my US debut at Bellator 258. What a great opportunity for me! But the american sport commision didn‘t clear me to fight. I needed to clarify what this abnormality is excatly.
At this point I felt something is wrong and started to worry. Shortly after I received the the shock of my life: I very likely have a braintumor.
A marathon of examinations started. A biopsy showed that in fact it was a braintumor, and not one of nice ones.In spring I had long surgery and the tumor has been removed to 100%. The surgery couldn’t have gone better. I’m in a very good health conditioning and even started to train again.
All my life I was confronted with death, from start facing wars in Iraq and Yemen, throughout my sport – it‘s an extreme sport- untill my diagnoses. Now in the second part of my life, I WILL FACE LIFE!
No matter how long we live, we are just a brief and certain period here. We should always appreciate our health, its the most valuable thing in life.Now I have to recover from my physical and emotional scars, but:
I will come back to the active sport next year
I will come back stronger
I will come back different
I will make history
it will be the greatest comback in the history of MMA, I promise!
Nothing has ever broke me, nothing will ever brake me.@fighting_de accompanied me for the last couple of months. On July 15 you can see the documentary about my trip through hell and back on FIGHTING.de.
#biggestcomeback”
Alan “Mr. Erbil” Omer 
(@alanomermma)Bellator’s Alan Omer says brain tumor removed, plans ‘greatest comeback in the history of MMA’
