What infection led to Louis Smolka's withdrawal from UFC 264?

Louis Smolka's management team recently confirmed with ESPN that the 'Da Last Samurai' will not be able to make the walk at UFC 264 due to a staph infection.

The bantamweight prospect's team is yet to reveal the details behind the infection.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani first reported Louis Smolka's withdrawal from UFC 264 via Twitter:

Louis Smolka is out of next weekend’s UFC 264 fight versus Sean O’Malley, sources say. Undisclosed injury. They were scheduled to be on the PPV main card. UFC is hoping to keep O’Malley on the card, I’m told, but no new opponent locked in yet.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 29, 2021

Louis Smolka's manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports, later told ESPN's Marc Raimondi that the 29-year-old withdrew from his bout against 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley on Monday:

Sean O'Malley is currently without an opponent for UFC 264 after Louis Smolka withdrew due to a staph infection, Smolka’s manager told @marc_raimondi.Smolka's withdrawal was first reported by Ariel Helwani and UFC is looking for a replacement to fight O’Malley, sources said. pic.twitter.com/KOEVIvPHQW

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 29, 2021

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Why do UFC fighters contract Staph infection?

Staph infections are caused by a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as 'staph'. Staph is commonly found on the skin or in the nose and can develop into a fatal infection if left untreated.

Such infections are a common occurrence among athletes who compete in contact sports like MMA. Moreover, due to the high transmission rate of staph, athletes have high chances of getting infected while training in overcrowded gyms.

A report from Nozin.com notes that MMA fighters may also get infected due to self-infection. Frequent injuries such as open wounds and large hematomas may allow staph to pass through the skin.

In 2017, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was forced to withdraw from his title defense against Luke Rockhold. Whittaker was reportedly dealing with a mistreated staph infection in his stomach.

President Dana White claimed in a statement that the infection had began spreading to other parts of the Australian's body.

“He had staph infection in his stomach. From what I understand it wasn’t treated properly and started to eat away at parts of his organs. He’s in serious condition, so it’s going to be a minute before he’s back, I think. Hopefully it turns around quick, but that stuff is life threatening if not treated the right way.”

White: Robert Whittaker in “serious condition” with staph infection | https://t.co/9pzS0QPvpq pic.twitter.com/ZUJuRZ3A9D

— The Mac Life (@TheMacLife) January 22, 2018

Although MMA fighters are severely prone to Staph infections, they can easily avoid getting infected by regularly sanitizing equipment and distancing themselves from colonized athletes. Nasal antiseptics may also help in preventing Staph infection, as Staphylococcus aureus is often found inside the nasal passage.