After a year on the shelf recovering from knee surgery, Australian light heavyweight [autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag] revealed his plans for an early 2020 comeback have been put on hold.
Pedro (7-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was scheduled to take on [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand. But the 28-year-old revealed he will no longer be competing on Feb. 22 due to an undisclosed injury.
He provided a statement on social media addressing his fans.
“Peaks and Valleys 🏔 Just when you think everything is going to your plan something hits you upside the head with a different one. Out of the fight in Feb, I’m gutted but thank you for all the messages. I’m not stressed as I know I’m coming back, I’ve never stopped before, so I’m not going to now. Every time I’ve messed up in life, been injured or blind sighted, something good came out from it, that I couldn’t see at the time. So until then, it’s all smiles and time to grind again. A massive positive was being able to connect and train with the boys down @citykickboxing thanks for having my family come through and showing us love. I’m praying for good news from the surgeon and a quick turnaround ✊🏽✊🏽 #hopeforthebestplanfortheworst#1yearrecovery2weekcamp
#ifnotmethenwho”
Pedro has not competed since December 2018, when he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Shogun Rua – his second straight defeat. He spent the whole of 2019 recovering from a knee injury he sustained during that bout and was on target for an early-2020 return against Contender Series alum Moreira (9-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC), who is still chasing his first win since graduating to the full UFC roster.
But now, following the news of Pedro’s latest injury, it seems the amiable Aussie’s return to action will have to wait a little longer.
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