Buddy Pemblett may be shelved until 2024.
The lightweight Buddy recently underwent ankle surgery to repair the damage he sustained in his unanimous decision over Jared Gordon as part of the UFC 282 pay-per-view (PPV) event last December, leaving the outright on crutches for the foreseeable future.
The damage turned out to be much more severe than he had initially expected.
“I had to have surgery after my last fight,” said Pemblett. Sky Sports (Written by MMA News). “The last fight, I cut my foot in the first round, in like the first minute or two I threw a kick, and I hit it. I felt it, but we get in, we get through the fight. At the end of the fight, I remember I went back to the med room and said, ‘My foot hurts.’” I didn’t. I could look at it right until I got home.Then, when the actual swelling went down, I didn’t know if I needed surgery.It was much worse than we thought.I had to have internal and external ligament surgery, like reconstruction, so it’s Great… it could be another six weeks [on crutches]. I’ve been on it for six, six and a half already. I will be lucky to fight this year.”
Pemblett, 28, remains unrated at 155 pounds.
“The Baddie” (20-3) jumped out to a 4-0 start inside the Octagon but faced heavy criticism for his performance against Gordon, which the cage umpires may have misscored. Whether matchmakers (or fans) will still be interested in a potential rematch by the time Pemblett gets back in action remains to be seen.