Strange things can happen to your body on long flights, and that’s something that Ricardo Lamas now understands very well. The veteran UFC featherweight commuted to Buenos Aires, Argentina to compete against Darren Elkins in the Octagon, and according to him, simple muscle pain turned into something that could have been very, very dangerous - a blood clot formed in his leg. He described the whole incident on Twitter:
“My first day Argentina I noticed that my left calf muscle felt tight and sore to the touch, I thought maybe it was a small muscle pull or something of that nature, but as the week went on it worsened. The day of the fight I had someone work on it and try to get the muscle to release and it was extremely painful. After getting it checked out by the doctors and having an ultrasound done on the muscle, it turns out I formed a blood clot in my calf muscle during the flight to Argentina from being seated in a tight area for so long. Things could’ve ended badly if the clot became dislodged during the fight. So I guess I also have to thank whoever was watching over me during the fight. So I guess I can say I ‘fought with a blood clot blood clot!’ (Rasta voice)”
Lamas (19-7, 10-5 UFC) didn’t show an ill effects from the clot during the fight, stopping Elkins with strikes late in the third round to end a two-fight losing streak.