“Truly gutted” Jimi Manuwa issues statement on UFC Sao Paulo withdrawal

Originally, British light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa was expected to battle former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC Sao Paulo card. Teixeira was then forced out of the fight with an injury, and replaced by middleweight contender Thiago Santos, who planned to move up a division to fight Manuwa.

Unfortunately, that’s not where the trouble ended for the Jimi Manuwa. Days after he arrived in Brazil, he sustained a serious leg injury while sprinting and was ultimately forced out of the cursed card’s main event as a result. Thiago Santos will now battle last-minute replacement Eryk Anders in Manuwa’s stead.

Shortly after this disappointing turn of events came to light, Manuwa took to Instagram to issue a statement. Apparently, he missed his daughter’s birthday to travel to Brazil for this fight. Given that the fight is now not happening, you can imagine how frustrated he is.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn3tPJdBbR4/

“I’m truly gutted” Jimi Manuwa said in his statement. “The day after I landed in Brazil I went for my last hard training session. During that session of sprints I tore my hamstring, and after getting it assessed in hospital, doctors diagnosed it as a severe tear greater than 50%. They told me it will be a minimum of 6 weeks recovery time. I’ll be working hard everyday to get back so I can continue to put on great fights for everyone to watch. I was 100% ready and looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans in São Paulo and around the world . I made a lot of sacrifices and even missed my daughter’s 10th birthday. I’m sorry Havana, I love you, Daddy is on his way home.”

“I want to thank everyone of you for the love and support you have sent my way. Without all of you none of this is possible. I can’t wait to come back and put on a show for you all. Lions eat first.”

Here’s hoping Jimi Manuwa makes a quick recovery. Who do you want to see him fight when he returns to the cage?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/18/2018.