Ultimate Fighting Championship(UFC) featherweight Eddie Yagin will be taking some much-needed time off from MMA following a career threatening head injury.

"The Filipino Phenom" talked to Sports Illustrated about the subdural hematoma which forced him out of his planned UFC on Fox 5 bout against Dennis Siver and reveals it could have been much, much worse

"The headaches I was feeling were actually the blood touching my brain. I've had so many injuries in my life that I wasn't scared. The only thing I was scared about was surgery, of getting drilled into my skull to drain the blood. That was the part that told me that if I had to do that, it would be the end of my fight career for sure....The doctors said if I hadn't come to them when I did, it probably would have been a lot worse."

Thankfully, Yagin did not require surgery as the swelling subsided on its own and he was released from the hospital three days later.

While the native Hawaiian is expected to make a full recovery, don't expect to see him in the Octagon any time soon. He'll be wisely heeding his doctor's advice to rest for six months before resuming his career:

"I'm about six months away from anything strenuous, because the last thing I want to do is make it worse. I want to fully recover. It's happened before, where I've come back to the gym from other injuries, been only 80 or 90 percent better and made things worse."

The cause of the injury is still up in the air. Yagin was not hurt during training on the day the headaches began and had been wearing headgear in sparring. He believes it could have been a combination of blood thinners and anti-coagulant medication like aspiren or ibuprofen.

Being signed to the UFC has it's perks, as the company's health insurance covered everything for the 22-fight veteran. He even got some phone calls from UFC executives like Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Sean Shelby to check on his condition while he was hospitalized.

Said Yagin on his treatment from the UFC:

"I couldn't be any more grateful to be a part of a promotion that takes care of its fighters."

Let's hope Yagin takes all the time he needs. Brain injuries are serious business and we at MMAmania.com wish him all the best in his recovery.