‘Mighty’ Johnson provides injury update
Demetrious Johnson: “I got the MRI results. I have a high-grade partial tear in my LCL. Right now, I’m suffering from pain in my lower calf area … I can’t even sleep at night.”
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show and provided an update on injuries sustained in his controversial Split Decision loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227.
There’s no broken bones, but there’s still a little swelling, said Johnson, as transcribed by Ken Pishna for MMA Weekly. I got the MRI results. I have a high-grade partial tear in my LCL. Right now, I’m suffering from pain in my lower calf area … I can’t even sleep at night. I’m waking up, just sweating in bed. I saw the UFC Performance Institute doctor, the physio therapist, and I have a possible tear in my Achilles into my calf, that’s not for certain. I need to see how high the grade is for the tears.
I don’t think I should [require surgery] but it all depends on the severity of the tear. Because when I get MRIs, it says hybrid partial tear on the LCL. So is that grade one, grade two, or grade three? Typically, grade three, you need surgery; grade two is six weeks off and rehab. It’s feeling like a grade two because I’ve had a tear in my left LCL before. In the fight, when it happened, I felt the pop go and the first thing that went through my head was, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic, there goes the right LCL.’
Johnson deserves an immediate rematch or no one did ever. However, Cejudo is arguing for superfight against UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. The pair were recently on Extra with Mario Lopez, and squared off for the camera, leading some to speculate that that’s what’s coming.