AJ Dobson has revealed he suffered from a brutal abscess which left him unable to walk following his UFC 280 defeat to Armen Petrosyan.
AJ Dobson was beaten by Petrosyan via unanimous decision on the undercard of UFC 280, unfortunately for him not only did he have to suffer back-to-back defeats after being beaten by Jacob Malkoun on his promotional debut.
The American also had to deal with a hematoma that developed in his leg which then became infected resulting in an abscess forming which causes excruciating pain.
AJ Dobson took to his social media to update fans on his current situation and promised a return to action soon enough.
“After my last fight I was left with a few hematomas on my shin from eating leg kicks.
About a week ago it violently turned into an abscess and within two days I was unable to walk on my own and had an unwavering fever.
“We’re back on the road to recovery but I still have a lot to be thankful for. I might be out for a while but the goal remains the same! Thanks to my team and management for the help and support! I’ll be back soon.”
AJ Dobson Reveals He Had Fought With A Knee Injury For The Previous 4 Years
Taking damage is bad enough but expected when competing in a sport such as mixed martial arts but going into battle already damaged is a whole separate issue. Although many fighters will enter bouts carrying minor injuries acquired from training or sparring, the level of severity for some of these issues can be extremely high.
AJ Dobson revealed that this is exactly the case for him as he has been battling adversity during the last four years of his career by fighting whilst suffering from a knee injury.
“I tore my knee in 2016 or 2017, and I just had to suck it up. All these injuries that these guys would have, and they would just suck it up, train what they could and still break records,” he said.
“So, I was kinda pulling from those guys. I just have a bucket handle meniscus tear – it’s all right; put a knee sleeve on, rub some dirt on it, it will be all right. (Laughs) It’s just that ‘Work through it’ mindset that I’ve always been surrounded by.” (Transcribed by DailyStar)
We have seen very recently the impact this can have on performance following TJ Dillashaw’s title challenge at UFC 280, which saw him enter the cage with his shoulder frequently popping out of its socket.
How many fighters do you feel go enter the cage whilst carrying a serious injury?