(Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Usman had surgery on his knee.)
Less than two weeks after winning the UFC welterweight title, Kamaru Usman is on the mend.
Usman (15-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) underwent surgery to repair a double hernia on Tuesday in Philadelphia, his manager Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. Not long after the procedure was completed, a groggy Usman went live on his Instagram Story and reacted.
“I had knee surgery before, I thought this was going to be like that,” Usman said. “This ain’t that at all – at all. This (expletive) different.”
Usman claimed the UFC welterweight title earlier this month when he dominated Tyron Woodley in a five-round unanimous decision in the UFC 235 co-headliner. Afterward, it was revealed that Usman was wearing a walking boot during UFC 235 fight week.
Usman told MMA Junkie pre-fight of his plans to be an active champion if he won the belt but said he had some lingering physical challenges that would need to be dealt with first. After winning the belt, Usman said he suffered a fractured foot in the lead-up to the bout and expanded on a growing number of injuries that have apparently been holding him back during his run toward the title, including a damaged knee.
“I’ve been on one leg for years now,” Usman said. “So to be able to open up and use my kicks will make me so much more dangerous, it wouldn’t even be fair once I start to use some of the weapons we work on. Once I go into these fights, and we have to go through the ringer to prepare for them, and we know I’m not 100 percent going in, winning is the most important thing and dominating is the most important thing, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie that surgery is not required on Usman’s knee at this time. A timeline for Usman’s return to action is unknown, but typical recovery time after hernia surgery requires four weeks before strenuous activity can begin. From his hospital bed, Usman said he looks forward to making his comeback against “you know who.”
That’s likely former interim 170-pound champion Colby Covington (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who Usman said he’s looking forward to “brutalizing” post-UFC 235.
For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
