Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has taken the advice of a UFC doctor and will be out of action for at least one month.
Back problems hamper lightweight champ
Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has taken the advice of a UFC doctor and will be out of action for at least one month, after injuring his back in training.
Combating bulging back discs and a popped rib, Edgar was forced to scrap his third bout with Gray Maynard at the UFC130.
Edgar, who suffered a defeat against Maynard in 2008 and mustered a draw in the UFC125 rematch, had been hoping for his first triumph over the Xtreme Couture fighter.
Following reports that cited damaged ribs as the cause of all Edgar's problems, the fighter set the record straight.
"All of the reports are talking about my ribs, it's actually my back," he said.
"My back's been bothering me for quite some time. A few weeks ago I had to take a week off so that my back could calm down and I was trying to fight through it.
"My rib kept popping in and out and then last week my back went out on me really bad.
"I went to see a doctor and he said I've got bulging discs and now I'm going to see a specialist to see what he can do about it."
Rehab
Though Edgar is used to rolling with the punches, his current injuries have left him in no fit state to fight.
He said: "I can't even put my socks on or hold my kids, it's pretty bad. When it's really inflamed, the pain is excruciating.
"I'm never 100% healthy when I step in the octagon anyway but this is something different. I'm not even 30% right now."
The devastated fighter, who is "very depressed about this whole situation" pushed himself beyond the limit in training, and must now wait for a specialist opinion to discover how long his rehabilitation will take.
Edgar said: "I think it was more my fault than anyone else's to be honest.
"I was trying to favour my back and probably putting too much pressure on my abs and compounded the injury when the rib popped out.
"I don't know how long I'll be out. I'm hoping surgery won't be an option, I'm hoping I can rehab it and get better and get back to training in a month."
Despite his frustration, Edgar is trying to find an upside to postponing his match against Gray.
He said: "From what I hear, Gray is pretty banged up and he wasn't having the best camp either, so maybe everything happens for a reason."
He added: "I know that when I fight Gray I want him to be at his best, he wants me to be at my best and I'm sure the fans want us both at our best too."
