UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson said Monday he will go under the knife later this week to repair a partially torn labrum, and if all goes well, he’ll be back at full strength in eight to 12 weeks.
Johnson said he first noticed problems in the shoulder when he returned to training camp following his win over John Dodson at UFC on Fox 6.
“My shoulder was still bugging me after the Dodson fight,” Johnson told broadcaster Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour broadcast. “I started training and I was starting to work out and pull a rope, which is one of our conditioning exercises, and I couldn’t pull on the rope.”
Johnson was scheduled to face John Moraga April 13 at the The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale before discovering the injury.
On Monday, he targeted a return date of June 15, which is the date currently scheduled for UFC 161 in Canada. Johnson also said it’s his understanding Moraga will wait for the title shot, which Johnson called a “smart” decision.
Johnson recalled his reluctance to initially deal with or even acknowledge the injury, but said coaches finally convinced him to see a doctor.
“You don’t want to think there’s anything wrong with your body. You want to think you’re invincible,” Johnson said. “I got the MRI, and they were like ‘you have a partially torn labrum,’ and I was like ‘aw, dammit.’ And that’s how we got the bad news.”
The good news, after a fashion, is that Johnson’s surgery will take place Thursday at Seattle’s prestigious Swedish Medical Center and will be performed by Dr. Edward Khalfayan, the orthopedic team physician for both the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.
Johnson acknowledged an outside possibility that he could be out longer if rehab does not go well or if Dr. Khalfayan discovers more significant damage during the operation.
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