Cory Sandhagen returns to fight Umar Nurmagomedov after almost exactly one year away from the UFC Octagon. In his last fight, he won what appeared to be a lackluster five round decision victory over Rob Font. Indeed, the JustBleed bros, including Dana White, were incensed at Cory’s apparent unwillingness to fight.
But there was a good reason for his hesitancy- he tore his right tricep in the first round. The injury was a complete tear, and he required surgery to repair the damage soon after the fight.
The injury occurred in the first round. As the round was coming to an end, Cory threw a kick that Font caught, sending Cory tumbling backward. Cory attempted to break his fall with his right arm.
The impact on Cory’s hand as it contacted the canvas caused a sudden, intense eccentric1 load on the tricep muscle and, more importantly, it’s attachment on the olecranon of the ulna bone (below, magnified area).
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I’ve always likened an eccentric load applied to a tendon to Silly Putty. Here’s how I explain it to my patients. With Silly Putty, you can apply a low load, stretching it slowly and it seems to stretch forever. (Tendons don’t stretch forever, but you get what I mean!)
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However, if you apply a high load and pull it apart with a large, sudden force, it will snap in two. In Cory’s case, the load was so sudden and intense, that the tricep tore away from its attachment, as it gave way (snapped) to the sudden, intense load.
Under normal circumstances, one can expect to return to sport activity in 6 months or so. But as is the case in so many of these estimated ‘return to sport’ timeframes, MMA fighting is different. Cory has been out a full year, which is what I would expect for an MMA fighter with this injury. This allows time to recover all aspects of demand placed on the arm and triceps, especially striking, but also grappling, wrestling, etc.
Eccentric- muscle lengthening while simultaneously under a load.