After some time, Yusuff learned he was dealing with long-haul symptoms from COVID-19. Not ideal but, in some ways, he saw it as a relief.
“When I finally figured out what was going on, then I was all right,” he said. “Then, I was more appreciative of like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to die.’ (Laughs) I was like, ‘All right, as long as I can get healthy again, I’ll be able to get back on the horse and be able to get back to what I was doing.’”
Getting back on the horse, however, proved a much taller task than he anticipated.
In fact, Yusuff couldn’t spar for about six months, returning to full-speed action at the end of September. And given the way Yusuff likes to get after it in the gym, that period of time was “more depressing than it was frustrating” for the 28-year-old.
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There was also a nagging sense of lost momentum. Before losing to Allen, Yusuff was breaking through in the featherweight division as one of its brighter prospects. After earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series against Mike Davis in one of the show’s best fights, Yusuff reeled off four straight wins (including two knockouts), culminating in a hard-fought decision over veteran Andre Fili at UFC 246.
Yusuff needed to wait for about 15 months before stepping into the Octagon against Allen in April 2021, so suffering another year-long setback was less than ideal in terms of building his stock within the promotion.
“I understand it from the UFC’s part like, ‘This guy is not active enough,’” Yusuff said. “They showed me a lot of love, but it’s one of those things where I need to be busy. Before the last fight, I told you guys I wanted to be busy afterwards, so fingers crossed we don’t lose visas, we don’t get sick. After this one, I promise you guys I’m going to be a lot more busy.”
