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Amir Albazi Heart Surgery: Health Issue That Nearly Paralyzed the Iraqi UFC Star

Allan Binoy
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Amir Albazi (red gloves) reacts after defeating Francisco Figueiredo (blue gloves) during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena.

Amir Albazi is a living miracle. From almost getting paralyzed to fighting a former two-time champion, the Iraqi star’s story is one of resilience and perseverance at the highest level.

Albazi was tearing through the flyweight division after joining the organization back in 2020. Since then, he didn’t have to look back, riding a 6-fight winning streak. However, his last fight against Kai Kara-France changed everything for the 31-year-old. Doctors found a major problem with his heart after the fight.

Before his fight against Kara-France, he could feel there was something wrong with him. His body was just not functioning right and he knew it.

However, he could not figure out what it was. It was only after the fight that doctors diagnosed him with Supraventricular Tachycardia, the medical term for an irregular heartbeat.

As he revealed in the UFC Edmonton press media day press conference, this caused a lot of problems for him and he almost got paralyzed,

“The UFC doctors found out, they literally pulled me out of the fight, and I had to go straight into surgery. They told me I was one punch away from getting paralyzed. So, after that surgery, here I am.”

The Iraqi fighter will be looking to make the most of this second chance that he has got and what better way to do it than beating a former two-time flyweight champion, in his quest for UFC gold.

At UFC Edmonton, ‘The Prince‘ will look to prove that he still is a big threat in the division. He has been taking his time off very seriously.

Albazi reveals what he was doing in his time off

Amir Albazi is coming off a 16-month hiatus, the longest of his career and a very long break for a UFC fighter. But that time has not gone to waste.

In a recent interview with the UFC ahead of his fight, the 31-year-old revealed what he was doing in his time off and how it will benefit him,

“All that time, I used it for my own benefit, I didn’t see it as a waste of time….I studied all these opponents now, I know their game.”

‘The Prince took this time to watch films and study his opponents as well as improve various other aspects of his game.

He will need all of these advantages when he takes on ‘The Assassin Baby’. Despite being on a two-fight losing streak, he still remains one of the deadliest fighters in this division and he will be looking to prove himself come Saturday night.

Post Edited By:Satagni Sikder

About the author

Allan Binoy

Allan Binoy

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Allan Binoy is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush. Taken to the sport in 2015, thanks to a certain Conor McGregor, Allan has himself dabbled in the martial arts. And having graduated from Loyola College, Chennai, with a degree in English Literature, he has learnt to use his love for language to have a voice in the MMA community. Allan has been writing about the gladiatorial stories for more than three years now and has pursued excellence at a number of reputable media organizations, covering every UFC PPV in the last couple of years. In addition to this, the southpaw is also a semi-professional soccer player for Diego Juniors FC in Pune, playing in the Pune Super Division League.

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