Shara Bullet disclosed that he contracted dengue fever during a training camp in Thailand ahead of his fight with Barrio, spending roughly two weeks bedridden with a 40°C fever, skin sores, and hair loss. He recovered just enough to travel to Abu Dhabi and compete, ultimately winning the bout. Immediately after the fight, Bullet underwent emergency surgery and then went nearly two days without sleep as his body remained in an elevated state of alertness.
Shara Bullet has revealed he battled a serious illness and required emergency surgery in the period surrounding his 2025 bout against Barrio, painting a picture of one of the more remarkable physical ordeals in recent MMA memory.
The lightweight contender disclosed that he contracted dengue fever during a training camp in Thailand ahead of the fight. For roughly two weeks, Bullet was bedridden, enduring a fever that reached 40 degrees Celsius, skin sores, and hair loss. Despite the severity of the illness, he recovered just enough to make the trip to Abu Dhabi and step into competition.
He went on to win the fight.
Why it matters
- Bullet competed at what would have been a significantly reduced level of physical health, making the victory all the more notable
- The disclosure raises questions about how illness during fight preparation affects performance and athlete welfare
- The timeline of events, illness through surgery, underscores the physical toll elite fighters routinely absorb outside of the cage itself
The ordeal did not end with the final bell. Bullet revealed that immediately after the fight he underwent emergency surgery, suggesting his medical situation was serious enough to require urgent intervention once the bout was complete. He also described going nearly two days without sleep in the aftermath, his body remaining in a heightened state of alertness even as he tried to recover.
Dengue fever, spread by mosquito bites, can cause severe fatigue, pain, and in more serious cases complications that require hospitalization. Bullet's account suggests his case fell toward the more extreme end of the spectrum. That he trained through any portion of it, travelled internationally, and competed speaks to the conditions fighters sometimes accept rather than withdraw from a scheduled contest.
