Shara Bullet disclosed that he contracted dengue fever during a training camp in Thailand ahead of his bout with Barrio, spending roughly two weeks bedridden with a 40-degree temperature, skin sores, and hair loss. He boarded the flight to Abu Dhabi having barely trained, yet still managed to enter the cage and win. The ordeal did not end with victory — Bullet went directly to the operating table after the fight, where he underwent surgery and then could not sleep for two days as his body remained in an adrenaline-fuelled state.
Shara Bullet has revealed he was battling dengue fever throughout his training camp in Thailand before his fight against Barrio, disclosing the full extent of the illness for the first time.
The Uzbek knockout artist described spending roughly two weeks bedridden with a fever reaching 40 degrees Celsius, developing skin sores and suffering hair loss as the illness took hold. Despite being barely able to train, Bullet still boarded the flight to Abu Dhabi and stepped into the cage, ultimately leaving with a victory.
The ordeal did not end when the final bell sounded. Bullet went directly from the cage to the operating table, undergoing surgery in the immediate aftermath of the bout. The physical toll of competing while gravely ill, combined with the post-fight adrenaline still surging through his system, left him unable to sleep for two days following the procedure.
Why it matters
- The disclosure reframes the Barrio performance as a remarkable feat of endurance, given Bullet entered with almost no preparation behind him
- It raises questions about the physical demands placed on fighters who compete through serious illness, and how camps manage medical crises during overseas training stints
- The need for surgery immediately after the fight suggests the illness had consequences beyond the training camp itself, with longer-term health implications still unknown
The revelation adds significant context to a fight that already carried high stakes. Competing in such a compromised physical state, then requiring surgical intervention on the same night, underscores the extreme conditions Bullet navigated simply to make it to the cage and secure the win.
