Veteran UFC fighter Corey Anderson was left with bad swelling and cuts to one side of his face after he collapsed to the ground during a walk after his heart stopped.
Light heavyweight contender Anderson, 30, claims to have suffered a series of health complications since losing to Poland's Jan Blachowicz by knockout earlier this year, and on Monday shared the aftermath of an incident he says can be directly traced to injuries he sustained in that bout.
Anderson detailed that he was still dealing with lingering issues of a concussion he sustained in the fight with Blachowicz which he says caused him to collapse while on a hike, where he hit his face on a gravel road before subsequently being rushed to hospital where he was informed by doctors that his heart had stopped beating - and that it could happen again.
Also on rt.com UFC sensation Chimaev warns 'chicken' Conor McGregor to 'keep quiet' after Irishman labels Chechen-born fighter 'rat lip'"It's been a long road back.. BUT never the less we are back!" Anderson wrote of the incident.
"Feb 21st following my last fight I blacked out and collapsed smashing my face on a gravel road after scouting some land for hrs.
"Ended up in the ER for 5 days running numerous of test and blood work to figure out what happened.
"I seen a long list of different doctors, all but one said it was do to major concussion and lack of water and food after hiking through the woods for hrs.
After each UFC bout, fighters are put through a battery of tests to ensure that there are no health concerns as a result of the fight. However, Anderson says that several warning signs were missed in his own post-fight medical.
"After my fight, the commission/medics failed to do the proper after-fight check-up and I went back to living life as normal," he said. "And I paid a hefty price!!
"One doctor would tell me it was my heart… that my heart had stopped beating and it could happen again but next time in a fight!
"Instantly my wife's face changed and my emotions as well. I become angry with doctors because I was scared internally.
"I would take many trips to NYU hospital meeting several different specialists during many more tests and undergoing two very painful outpatient heart procedures to find more evidence to go along with that ONE doctor's notes.
"He had put a complete halt to my career as a fighter until it was clear my heart was safe to compete.
"And as of last Monday night, I left hospital for the final time after my last procedure, with clearance note in hand, and the doctor telling me 'Congrats Mr. Anderson, I can let you go back to beating people up!'"
Also on rt.com UFC icon Fabricio Werdum proposes rematch with 'best of all time' Fedor Emelianenko following Fight Island win (VIDEO)Anderson's loss to Blachowicz in February snapped a four-fight win streak which had become Anderson's most successful sequence of fights in the UFC's 205-pound class.
It included wins against highly-regarded fighters Glover Teixeira and Johnny Walker, though the loss to Blachowicz derailed any talk of a title bout.