There are crazy examples of athletes toughing through injuries, and then there are crazy examples of athletes toughing through injuries. If this one is true, it could go to the top of the list.
A new report says Chael Sonnen fought Rashad Evans the day after undergoing an emergency surgery to remove a part of his colon.
Sonnen lost to Evans by TKO late in the first round of their fight at UFC 167 on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas. TSN reported on Wednesday that Sonnen underwent surgery to remove inches from his colon on Nov. 15. The subject came up during a taping of TSN’s Off The Record on Wednesday with Sonnen and host Michael Landsberg.
“It’s a little bit of a surprise that you had that information,” Sonnen said when Landsberg brought up the question.
Sonnen did not confirm or deny whether he had the surgery.
Sonnen did not withdraw from his fight despite allegedly undergoing the procedure. He explained his thoughts on sticking to such a commitment.
“When I sign a contract to fight, I’m agreeing to fight a guy on a certain day at a certain time and in a certain venue,” he continued. “It’s my job to feel good when I go out and do it and if I don’t that may play a hand in the fight.”
I applaud Chael for the way he feels about his commitments to fight, but I seriously have a hard time believing this story. I’ve had emergency surgery to remove part of my colon, and I was in an enormous amount of pain the next day and could barely do anything for the next week. I was in a hospital bed recovering after my surgery. I can’t believe any doctor would allow someone to compete in hand-to-hand combat the next day after undergoing such a procedure, and I don’t think someone would be physically capable of fighting the day after such a procedure.
I think some information got twisted here because I really don’t buy this. If he underwent an emergency colonoscopy the day before the fight, I could believe that. That wouldn’t keep someone from being able to fight the next day. But a colectomy? No way I buy that. Show us the medical records, Chael!
