UFC lightweight champion
Frankie Edgar has begun treatment for a back injury with what could be a series of shots to address the problem. On Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, Edgar said that the injury that forced him out of his scheduled
UFC 130 title defense against Gray Maynard was due to an extreme flare-up of an existing problem.
Earlier Monday, he had an epidural injection to address the pain. It will take up to four days to determine whether it worked. According to Edgar, the ultimate solution is something more invasive, but his doctors are trying to stem the pain and delay what might be inevitable.
"I think eventually I'm going to need surgery," said Edgar, who also suffered a rib injury in training. "Hopefully these shots will slow down the process and give me a couple more years without having to do the surgery."
The shots may prove an effective temporary solution, but if they don't work, he could have another round of shots that will go directly into his nerves.
Edgar said his back issues go back to his past, and that he had surgery 11 years ago. Since then, he occasionally suffered small flare-ups that would knock him out of the gym for a day or two, but about 3-4 weeks ago, he was hit with another flare-up that he quickly realized was far more severe.
He was in such pain that he could barely walk around.
It soon became clear that he would not be able to fight, a disappointment after going through a big portion of his camp.