Updated April 18, 2026, 3:52 p.m. ET
Jamie Siraj felt like he was on prime of the world in 2019. Win after win had positioned him on the UFC doorstep. A name may come at any time.
That’s when the complications and abdomen points started.
In a occupation the place mind trauma is not uncommon, Siraj tacked it as much as a concussion. Boy, did he do not know what he was in for. Doctors gave him a clear invoice of well being. Siraj felt distrusted and unheard.
“People insinuated I was faking it,” Siraj informed MMA Junkie. “Doctors said nothing was wrong. Meanwhile I was fainting, heart rate at 140 daily, blood pressure at 194/115. I had to become my own advocate. It drove me mental. That lack of belief hurt deeply.”
Eventually, there was no denying one thing was flawed. He was unable to face, bedridden. In 2021, Siraj’s face broke out in a pores and skin an infection, rendering him swollen and unrecognizable. He was recognized with autoimmune encephalitis, a situation the place the immune system assaults the mind.
Doctors, nevertheless, could not determine the best way to cease the siege.
“It progressed,” Siraj mentioned. “I had severe stomach issues, was put on immune suppressive drugs that made me sicker. A truckload of health problems followed.”
The prognosis modified when a rheumatologist recognized him with systemic sclerosis, also referred to as scleroderma, an autoimmune illness attacking connective tissue and growing susceptibility to an infection. The pores and skin presentation was on account of a septic an infection with micro organism rising in his abdomen wall. Siraj underwent surgical procedure.
“It was very rare,” Siraj mentioned. “Doctors said it was the worst skin infection they’d ever seen. I signed a waiver to be studied. When my face got infected, it finally showed people something was truly wrong.”
The prognosis shifted to dire. Siraj was out and in of sedation. During the time he was lucid, he was in ache, considering he was going to die.
“They weren’t giving me a high chance of survival,” Siraj mentioned. “I dealt with recurring infections for about a year. I became antibiotic resistant. … I was as close to death as close as you can get. Extremely high inflammatory markers, irregular heart rhythms, constant monitoring, IV antibiotics. I’ve never felt pain like that. I cried from pain. I was sedated often. The infection spread from a hole in my mouth into my lungs. It was horrendous.”
Siraj was determined. He signed waivers to be studied – something likelihood {that a} discovery might be made to U-turn his declining well being can be price it. December 2021 to July 2022 the worst was the worst time of his life. But then, a breakthrough discovery was made shortly thereafter.
“Eventually, an immunologist got me approved for monoclonal antibody treatments,” Siraj mentioned. “(They were) very expensive, about $50,000, so we started a GoFundMe. I began treatment and started improving. … Monoclonal antibody treatment, basically helping my immune system reach homeostasis so it stops attacking itself. It normalized my white blood cell count.”
Inch by inch, Siraj’s well being rebounded. He credit these round them for his or her unwavering assist. In February 2023, Siraj had a second that will be insignificant to most. But taking a step again, it is one which he’ll always remember.
“I felt normal for the first time in years,” Siraj mentioned. “That moment made me appreciate everything.”
In June 2023, Siraj made his inconceivable return to the cage and bought again on observe. His spirits have been lifted additional.
“After being septic, in a coma, told I might not live, winning that fight was everything,” Siraj mentioned.
Siraj received 5 of his subsequent six professional fights. And simply when it appeared like it might by no means occurred, Siraj bought the message he’d lastly been ready for. He rapidly accepted Sean Shelby’s short-notice supply to struggle at UFC Winnipeg vs. John Yannis – one more odds-defying feat simply years after escaping dying.
The battles forward will at all times pale compared to the conflict Siraj already received.
“You see a lot of these guys, a prime example, look at someone like Youssef Zalal, where they get in the UFC the first round, they’re too young and they’re not battle tested enough or they haven’t gone through as much adversity in their career, and then they go out there and they choke because they haven’t dealt with those pressures and adversities, and then now you see where he is now,” Siraj mentioned. “I already went through my adversities. I already went through the battle-tested fights. I already fought UFC-caliber opponents and beat them. Not to mention after going through what I have with my health, there’s not many situations you can put me in in life that I’m gonna freeze or choke over. I’m so ready for this moment.”
