UFC fighter undergoes emergency eye surgery after ‘losing vision’ as bout postponed

On Feb 8, 2023

A UFC fighter has undergone emergency eye surgery after “losing vision” leading to his bout being postponed.

Featherweight star Andre Fili has been forced to pull out of his scheduled bout with Lucas Almeida as a result of the surgery. The pair were due to fight at the UFC’s Apex institute in Las Vegas, at the February 25 Fight Night event.

The 34-year-old took to social media to confirm the news and he is instead targeting a return to the Octagon later this year. “Started losing vision in my right eye,” the American wrote in an Instagram story, alongside an image of himself wearing an eye patch.

“Had emergency surgery and got it fixed. I’m very grateful. Love you all. Thanks for checking in on me. I’m sorry I can’t put on a show for you guys Feb 25th, but I will be fighting later this year and I will be World Champion. They can never break us.”

Fili last fought in September 2022, and ended a three-match winless run by beating Bill Algeo by split decision.

As the winner of the most split decision bouts of any featherweight in UFC history starts his road to recovery, one fighter who is at the other end of the scale is Conor McGregor. The Irishman has been out of action since July 2021 after suffering a broken leg during his defeat to Dustin Pourier at UFC 264.

UFC star Andre Fili has had to pull out of scheduled bout later this month due to an eye injury
(Image: touchyfili/Instagram)

Last month, alongside the clip of UFC announcer Bruce Buffer introducing him as ‘the one and only Conor McGregor’, the Notorious One tweeted: “Excited for my return to the UFC!” In another post, McGregor vowed to ‘slice through someone’ when he does makes his eventual return. He tweeted: “I’m going to slice through someone on return. Trust that. And I don’t care who. Line up.”

The former UFC double champion now has an opponent lined up as UFC President Dana White confirmed he will make his return to action later this year to fight number five ranked lightweight Michael Chandler. A date or venue for the fight has yet to be confirmed, but White says an announcement will be made soon.

“We just confirmed the coaches for season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter,” White announced. “Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will go head-to-head as coaches of The Ultimate Fighter. Team McGregor vs Team Chandler. This season premieres Tuesday May 30 and runs through Tuesday August 15 on ESPN and ESPN+.

“Then at the end of the season McGregor and Chandler will fight live on ESPN+ PPV. I do not have a date or location for that, but we will announce it soon.”

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