by EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – It’s been a while since Amir Albazi was last in action.
Nearly a year and a half later, Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will finally resume his career when he takes on former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Fight Night 246 on Saturday. The road back to the fight was rocky. The Iraqi fighter underwent two surgeries to correct serious health issues that threatened his UFC career.
“Before my fight between Kai Kara and Fance, I was dealing with some health issues,” Albazi told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 246 media day on Wednesday. “I didn’t really know what it was, but after my fight it showed that I had something called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). That’s the medical term for it. It’s basically an irregular heartbeat. My heart rate went up to 239, so I had to have heart surgery.”
The problems for Albazi did not stop in the summer of 2023. After defeating Kai Kara-France, Albazi was scheduled to face Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC) in Mexico City last February. However, he had to pull out of the fight to resolve another health issue.
“After heart surgery, I continued training for the fight against Brandon Moreno in Mexico City and then my left arm literally stopped,” Albazi said. “I couldn’t lift my arm, I couldn’t stab, I couldn’t do anything, but I still kept training. … After I had my first MRI, the first doctor said, ‘You shouldn’t do that.’ Don’t fight anymore. Find a 9-to-5.’ I kept going to different doctors and when the UFC doctors found out, they literally pulled me out of the fight and I had to have surgery immediately. They told me I was one stroke away from being paralyzed. Here I am. It’s the longest break of my career.
After neck surgery, Albazi had to wait six months before he could start training again. He feels healthy now and is grateful to be able to do what he loves again.
“To be honest, it feels great and I’m just grateful and happy to finally be back in a fight week,” Albazi said. “Plus, I’m a main eventer, so that means a lot to me and it’s a great opportunity for me to put my stamp on this weight class again and show people what I’m made of and what I can do in this division. “
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Video: Live stream for the media day “UFC Fight Night 246: Moreno vs. Albazi”.
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For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s UFC Fight Night 246 event hub.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Fight Night 246 headliner Amir Albazi talks arduous road back from heart and neck surgeries
