Kamaru Usman reveals hand surgery, aiming to return in Summer
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman reveals he recently underwent hand surgery and a timeline for his return has been given.
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be sideline for a bit of time due to recent hand surgery, and the evidence is quite gruesome. UFC President Dana White posted the NSFW image on Monday showing the hand ligament procedure that Usman underwent, and it is not for those with a weak stomach.
https://twitter.com/danawhite/status/1490852904281927680
Following the image being released by White, ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported that the manager for Kamaru Usman, Ali Abdelaziz said the welterweight champion will likely be ready to return to competition by International Fight Week, which is UFC 276 set for July 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kamaru Usman had surgery to repair a ligament in his hand Monday, according to a Dana White post on social media. Usman’s manager @AliAbdelaziz00 tells me Usman will be ready to fight again International Fight Week, which is UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) February 8, 2022
The last time Kamaru Usman was seen in competition was back at UFC 268 in November of 2021, where he defended his title for the fifth-consecutive time, picking up a second consecutive win over challenger Colby Covington. Since becoming champion, Usman has defeated both Covington and former ‘BMF’ champion Jorge Masvidal twice, while also defending his title against former gym teammate Gilbert Burns.
As he has begun to lap past recent title challengers, Usman is looking for new contenders in the division, and UFC President Dana White recently stated that Leon Edwards will be the next title challenger. Edwards has enjoyed quite a bit of success recently, winning nine of his last 10 fights, with the other fight ending as a no-contest due to an accidental eye-poke in his fight against Belal Muhammad.
Back in 2015, Usman and Edwards fought and it was the reigning champion who picked up a unanimous decision victory, and that was the last time Edwards has tasted defeat in the UFC. Following the news of Usman’s hand surgery, Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported on Tuesday that Edwards and his team have been told that the champion will be ready to return in the summer, and the two men will likely fight at UFC 276 with the welterweight title on the line.
Considered by many as the current top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and not just in his division, Kamaru Usman will be on the shelf for a bit of time, but when he’s ready to return to action, Leon Edwards will be awaiting his title fight opportunity.
