In a sport like MMA, fighters have to deal with staphylococci on a regular basis. Before competing in UFC Paris on Saturday at the Accor Arena, Oumar Sy said he constantly fights while infected with these bacteria. But for his first fight in France, the Yvelines native is for now ready to enter the Accor Arena octagon without infection.
Infections that MMA fighters must fight against, but also adapt to. This year, staphylococci have been particularly talked about, especially with the case of Benoît Saint Denis. The “God of War” had chosen to fight last March against Dustin Poirier despite the presence of a staphylococcus on his forehead. Result: the Frenchman quickly appeared exhausted in the cage and lost by TKO in the second round.
So three days before the third edition of UFC Paris, where nine French fighters will be present at the Accor Arena, the question of these infections has resurfaced. But for Oumar Sy (1-0 in the UFC, 10-0 in pro) there is no question of hiding behind this scourge. “I have never had a fight where I did not catch a staph. During my last fight in the UFC (victory by submission against the American Tuco Tokkos, in May 2024), you could see – when ‘I close the triangle’ – that I had two big pimples on my knees. We still won,” confided the fighter from Yevlines (28 years old).
“Benoît… these things happen”
A few days after “BSD”‘s” defeat in March, former UFC star Muhammad Mokaev spoke about the potential repercussions of staph on fighters. “It’s one of the worst things that can happen to you before a fight. Your body breaks down, you have no strength, you lose focus, you get dizzy,” confided “The Punisher,” adding that the immune system “degrades when you lose weight.”
Symptoms that had weakened Benoît Saint Denis, the Frenchman said he was “mentally and physically affected”. Comments to which Oumar Sy reacted this Wednesday at a press conference. “Benoît’s case… these are things that happen, it’s part of the camp”, he conceded. If the former KSW fighter has always had to fight with staph, for the first time, he is preparing to enter the octagon without infection against Da Un Jung (a fight to follow for free on RMC Sport’s Twitch). “With my nutrition partner, I think their food supplements have really helped my immunity. The thing to do is shower, disinfect yourself and that’s it”.
