Douglas Silva de Andrade Talks About His Bad Luck With Injuries

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Douglas Silva de Andrade (23-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) spoke about his bad luck with injuries. He returns tonight at UFC Fight Night 98 against bantamweight Henry Briones (16-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) after 21 months away. It airs on FOX Sports 1 after preliminary fights on UFC Fight Pass from the Mexico City Arena in Mexico.

On why it took so long to come back: “It was complicated. There were several factors. I had surgery, but it didn’t go right. I had to do it again, but it didn’t heal properly. Then I had to do it yet again. Within a month and a half, I went to the operating room three times. Recovery itself was three to four months, so time kept passing by. I had to also deal with some family matters.”

On his bad luck: “Once I went back to training, I got injured again. I went to Sao Paulo to start my camp. Right at the start, I tore a rib cartilage. To heal up, I had to idle for another two months. That’s why I’m only fighting now, thankfully. My goal, going forward, is to be more active.”

On his first two UFC fights: “When I fought, it was all heart. The loss happened, but it was an opportunity that couldn’t be wasted. I had been training to dispute for the Jungle Fight belt. But I couldn’t waste that golden opportunity. That’s what happened. For my second fight, I had more time to prepare, and I was able to find a proper training camp. I did a six-week camp at Pitbull Brothers in Natal. I had a better weight cut, and we were able to put together a good strategy against a taller opponent. Everything was very different from when I only had nine days.”