IT’S BEEN CONFIRMED that Charles Oliveira sustained an extremely unusual injury during last night’s UFC Fight Night 74 main event.
Oliveira’s bout against Max Holloway was waved off after just one minute and 39 seconds when the Brazilian dropped to the floor and appeared to clutch his neck and shoulder region.
Holloway was subsequently awarded a TKO win and Oliveira was rushed to hospital in the Canadian city of Saskatoon, where the event took place.
Earlier today, Oliveira told MMAFighting.com that he injured his neck in training before the fight but felt fit to compete: “But when I fell against the cage, everything went numb. I couldn’t feel my body.”
However, the UFC has now said that Oliveira actually suffered ‘a micro tear in his esophagus’. The esophagus — often known as the foodpipe — is the muscular tube connecting the throat with the stomach, through which food passes.
According to medical website Medscape, tears of the esophagus are life-threatening conditions that require prompt diagnosis and emergency treatment. Thankfully for Oliveira, however, it seems that the 25-year-old avoided any serious consequences, with the UFC adding that he’s likely to be released from hospital tomorrow.
