Did Kamaru Usman injure himself at the UFC 294 open workouts?
In a video posted earlier today, the former UFC welterweight champion appeared to get hurt while training with fellow UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje (see that footage here). But shortly after social media started melting down over the report, “The Highlight” logged on to Twitter to assure fans nothing “popped” and it was business as usual in Abu Dhabi.
“He said I’m good or something like that,” Gaethje wrote. “I thought he hit his head on the mat. I asked him if he hit his head in this clip when we got up and he said no.”
UFC fans are not convinced:
Nah he definitely popped something.
Come on man, we heard the clip.
I’m sure Usman wouldn’t want the media, fans and most importantly Khamzat and his team to know that’s what was really said so it’s very possible Justin’s purposefully trying to change the narrative. I’m not suggesting Justin’s a liar, I’m saying him debunking it was strategical.
At the end of this clip he clearly shakes out his left leg.
lol, don’t just blatantly lie about it. We can literally see what happened and hear a bit of it too. He even walks away in pain. C’mon man, why lie? Just don’t say anything if that’s the case.
Good job crippling your friend before the most dangerous fight of his life.
Sounds like you are protecting your friend makes sense that is what you should do, but he holds his knee afterwards and gets up slow. That wasn’t a head issue.
Expect Usman, who has not addressed the rumors, to face a battery of questions at Thursday’s press conference.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” is jumping up to middleweight to fight Khamzat Chimaev — on less than two weeks’ notice — in the UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Sat. (Oct. 21) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It’s highly unlikely Usman or anyone from his team wold reveal an injury or other health-related news that would give Team Chimaev an advantage on fight night.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 294 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 294 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 294: “Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 294 fight card and PPV lineup click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
