UFC welterweight contender Li Jingliang is out of UFC 287 and hopes to avoid a long layoff after suffering a spine injury during his training camp.
Li Jingliang was forced to withdraw from UFC 287 due to a spine injury but is hopeful for a quick recovery. The welterweight contender shared his situation on social media, stating that the injury was a result of an “accumulated effect” brought on by his intense training regimen for the bout with Michael Chiesa. In an Instagram post, he detailed the impact of the injury on his preparations and how it led him to heed the doctors’ advice.
Li wrote, “As many of you already know, I injured my spine during fight camp and was forced to withdraw from my fight against Michael Chiesa at UFC 287. The injury was an accumulated effect from all the rigorous training that I had put my body through in the past several months especially all the extra BJJ and wrestling work I put in to prepare for beating a submission artist. I was feeling extremely confident and was never so ready for a fight when the injury happened.” He added, “I’d been waiting for too long for my moment since last year so I tried to power through it until I reached a point where the pain was worsening and expanding across my entire upper body; no amount of physical therapy or ibuprofen was able to fix the problem; and my fight preparation was completely stalled because of it. When the doctors explained to me how dangerous it would be for me to keep pushing my limits, I decided to wise up and take their advice to let my body heal.”
Li hopes to avoid surgery and allow his injury to “heal organically.” It is unclear when he will return to action, but he aims to prioritize his long-term health and commitment to the sport. In an unedited statement, Li said, “I chose fighting as my career – so decisions like this must not be based on ego, but on my long-term commitment to the sport I love.” He continued, “I’m recovering and getting better, they will reevaluate my progress in the near future and decide on the next steps for my treatment plan. A spine surgery is not completely out of the question, but I hope to let it heal organically with the help from medical professionals so I can come back sooner.” Li concluded, “Life will always throw you curveballs, just keep fouling them off. The right pitch will come, and when it does, I will be prepared to knock it out of the park. I will be back.”