Campbell Reveals He Can't See Opponents In Cage

UFC featherweight Kurtis Campbell fights with severely compromised vision, he revealed this week.

The Liverpool native, who wears thick-lensed glasses outside competition, told Ariel Helwani that opponents appear blurry to him across the cage until they move within striking range. Campbell tried contact lenses as a youth but abandoned them due to nerves about insertion, and he has stuck with fighting bare-eyed ever since.

Why Campbell Refuses Contacts Despite Vision Issues

"My eyesight is really bad, but at the same time I love my glasses," Campbell said on Helwani's show, per Sherdog. "I tried contacts when I was younger, but I was always too nervous; I couldn't put them in. So, I got used to fighting without them and I don't think I've ever gone back since. I've always preferred it that way… Because of how big the UFC cage is, [my opponent] is blurry and then once we get closer, it gets a little better."

Campbell earned his UFC contract with a first-round knockout on Dana White's Contender Series last year. He dropped his promotional debut to Danny Silva via knockout in London this past March but bounced back with a submission win over Trevor Peek at UFC Paris.

The 9-1 featherweight puts his glasses back on immediately after each bout. No word yet on his next cage appearance.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — UFC fighter says he can't see opponents clearly until they get close