Really? fighters do this a lot tho, maybe more often than not even, hoping injuries will hold up & fight anyway.
But if it was, and the stumble at the start also was a thing related to a pre existing injury that he knew about.. then that was a really odd gamble of opening to the fight 🤔 if he knew he didn't have the support of the leg...
i don't remember at the moment which leg he stumbled with the balance outside the cage.
Yes, for a minor injury (such as staph), you can skate between the lines. A critical injury that renders a fighter being unable to fight and stating you can still fight is against the commission's rules. A non-UFC member of the commission is designated to each UFC and Fight Night to ask that exact question. Going into a fight with a critical pre-existing injury has a major implication on gambling, and will trigger several questions from the Gaming Commission. I would've marked it up to a on the mat injury if they hadn't shown a clip of him taking his shoes off and immediately limping in the ring before fighting. I'm still up for the night so idgaf, but I'd bet this will definitely make waves in the gambling regulations and will certainly receive an extensive follow up investigation, followed by major fines. Quote me.
Imagine Tom Brady saying he was ready for a Super Bowl but actually had a broken leg going into the game before falling out in the first down. It's the exact same concept, and falls under the same game commission standards.
This post was edited by Krumf on Jul 11 2026 10:17pm