5 times UFC stars fought the fight of their lives despite being sick or injured

Modified Oct 19, 2021 20:07 GMT

Justin Gaethje vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) & Khabib Nurmagomedov with mumps (right) [Image Credits- @Riaz1Khokhar & @DrDavidAbbasi on Twitter ]

#4. Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez - UFC on Fox 1

The heavyweight main event at UFC on FOX saw Junior dos Santos butt heads with Cain Velasquez back in November 2011. After recording a first-round KO win over Velasquez, dos Santos walked out of the octagon as the freshly minted heavyweight champion.

However, going into the fight, Santos had been nursing a knee injury. The Brazilian suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee a week-and-a-half before the fight.

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In fact, Santos revealed that he had spent most of fight week on crutches. Rehab and striking drills in the pool ensured that the joint was under a minimal amount of stress ahead of the event.

#3. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje - UFC 254

Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October marked his final outing in the octagon. Going into the title unification fight, Khabib was reeling from the effects of a myriad of problems.

His father's tragic death was followed by a series of injuries and hospitalizations that left Khabib out of commission in the build-up to the fight for quite some time.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, while in conversation with Match TV from Russia, opened up about the struggle he had to trudge through while training for his fight against Gaethje.

'The Eagle' was hospitalized during his training camp after he caught mumps. He also went into the fight against Gaethje with a broken toe. Nevertheless, 'The Eagle' managed to secure a decisive win.