It’s no secret that MMA is a grueling sport. Injuries occur everywhere from the training room to the cage, and sometimes even beyond that.
Injuries can cause the best set plans to fall by the wayside, derail careers or worse. Still, though, the overwhelming majority of fighters in the sport overcome their physical setbacks and eventually find their way back to competition.
Below MMA Junkie tracks the latest in notable MMA injuries, including updates on Paige VanZant, Julian Marquez, Tim Means, Maycee Barber and more.
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- Paige VanZant (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC), the UFC women’s flyweight contender, is planning to participate in a marathon while she waits for her right arm to heal from another fracture. “12 Gauge” has already been under the knife for injury, but said she intends on fighting in the summer.
- Molly McCann (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who suffered a broken orbital bone in her UFC on ESPN+ 5 win over Priscila Cachoeira on March 16, claims she has received medical clearance to return to training. The Brit has already called for a women’s flyweight matchup with Shana Dobson, who was receptive to a future date with “Meatball.”
- Chris Gruetzemacher (14-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a UFC lightweight, revealed a fully torn ACL was the reason behind his withdrawal from his scheduled UFC on ESPN+ 6 bout with Jesus Pinedo. Surgery is required, but Gruetzemacher did not provide a timetable for his potential return to the octagon.
- Devin Powell (9-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC), a UFC lightweight, has been getting spinal injections as he attempts to get back to full health following a loss at UFC fight Night 140 in November.
- Jessica-Rose Clark (9-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is awaiting surgery after she tore ligaments in her right foot in preparation for a UFC 237 fight with Talita Bernardo in May. Clark said she hopes to reschedule the fight for later this year but an exact timeline is still unknown as she waits to go under the knife.
- Julian Marquez (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a member of the UFC middleweight division, recently underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum. He said the recovery time could last anywhere from 12 to 24 weeks depending on how the rehabilitation process goes. He hasn’t fought since July.
- Tim Means (28-11-1 MMA, 10-8 UFC), a longtime UFC welterweight, got the cast removed from his right foot after he suffered a broken tibia and ankle in a knockout loss to Niko Price at UFC on ESPN+ 4 in March. He said the rehab process begins immediately and he is already looking forward to an octagon return.
- Luke Sanders (13-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), a UFC bantamweight, underwent knee surgery after apparently having competed at less than 100 percent for “years.” He is coming off a second-round knockout victory over former UFC champ Renan Barao at UFC on ESPN 1 in February.
- Hannah Cifers (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had the cast removed from the arm she broke in a split decision win over Polyana Viana at UFC 235 in March. She is able to start physical therapy shortly and said recover is on the “right track.”
- Maycee Barber (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), the unbeaten UFC women’s flyweight prospect, completed surgery for a broken right hand sustained in her second-round TKO of J.J. Aldrich at UFC on ESPN+ 6 in March. A typical recovery timeline for such an injury is between three and six weeks.
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