UFC flyweight contender Ian McCall has had a tough time staying healthy. Not only was “Uncle Creepy” yanked from his UFC Fight Night 99 matchup with Neil Seery due to what thought to be food poisoning, but he was also pulled from his bout with Jarred Brooks at UFC 208 due to gastrointestinal issues, which initially prompted New York doctors to advise removing his gallbladder. Since then, McCall has wondered what’s actually going on with his body when he decides to train and cut weight before a fight.

“I have no idea what’s going on, and the UFC, they can’t help me,” said McCall in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

“My esophagus would do this thing – it would seize up,” explained McCall. “And then I would lose blood flow to brain, then pass out. Then I’d end up throwing up from anywhere from an hour to on and off for a couple of days. That was happening during the (Justin) Scoggins training camp, and the (Ray) Borg camp. I was in and out of the hospital.”

After his UFC 208 fallout, McCall left Brooklyn under the assumption that UFC would take care of any medical expenses pertaining to his issue. That wasn’t the case.

“They told me when I was leaving New York that I’d be covered; everything I needed would be covered,” said McCall. “I’m like, ‘Cool, I can finally figure this out. I can finally get this done and do all the tests and make sure I’m not dying or some (expletive).’ But I got home, and I got a phone call that said, ‘Hey, man, we’re sorry. We can’t cover you.'”

“It is (the UFC’s) fault, but at the same time, it’s not,” added McCall. “They’ve got an insurance plan that doesn’t help us.”

With no medical coverage in place to figure out what is exactly happening to his body pre-fight, “Uncle Creepy” doesn’t know if paying out of pocket to determine the cause is actually worth it, especially for what he’s making with his current UFC contract.

“If I do ever fight again, it will be a lot more money than $16,000 and $16,000,” said McCall. “That’s just not worth my life and my health.”

McCall’s situation is truly a shame, especially considering he is one of the best contenders available in a dried up UFC flyweight division.