MMA – for all its flashiness and pazazz – is a dangerous sport at the end of the day. It’s a no-brainer; getting punched and kicked is no fun, and being injured because of the techniques involved is a nightmare for professional fighters. People usually attribute the unpredictable nature of the sport to the competitive aspects, where fighters can experience dramatic shifts within fights – one minute you’re losing, and the next, you’ve changed the outcome with a come-from-behind strike, takedown, or submission. Anything can happen. Similarly, in training, anything can happen. Just ask former UFC fighter Mateus Mendonca.

The Brazilian bantamweight star with 11 wins, suffered a gruesome injury that is quite painful to even talk about – a devastating groin injury. This injury sadly happened because Mendonca didn’t wear protective gear when he was sparring, presumably hard. The worst part is, the injury happened when he was rolling – sparring in BJJ. Jiu-Jitsu practitioners usually avoid wearing protective gear because it restricts their ability to freely flow and maneuver throw different moves.

Mateus Mendonca’s end to 2024 did not look pleasant because not only did he lose his 3rd UFC fight in a row – which resulted in his release – but now he has had a dangerous fracture below the belt. The news of his injury was being circulated on social media, and Home of Fight updated fans about the same. The caption mentioned his hiatus and said, “Medonça is now sidelined from training for 2 months after this interesting injury.”

“I went to train jiu-jitsu at my teacher’s gym the day before I returned to Sao Paulo,” Mendonca told AgFight via MMA Mania. “During the second roll, [my partner] hit my private parts with his knee when I was trying to pass the guard. I felt an incredible amount of pain and ran to the bathroom. It started to burn. But then the pain went away and I kept going.”

And that was the fundamental mistake he made – he should not have continued to train after that because the damage was already done. There’s a rule in training, especially BJJ – tap to discomfort, not pain. If you experience pain, something might have gone horribly wrong, you should stop training, and immediately seek medical attention.

After ‘Bocao’ sustained the gruesome fracture, he only realized the same after a month when he felt uneasy and went to the hospital. After the doctor realized the extent of his injury, he was advised to go through a minor surgery. Mendonca’s advice?- wear a cup to avoid accidents. After this news was released on Instagram, fans ran to the comments sharing concerns, and their own theories about the injury.

Fans are bewildered about Mateus Mendonca’s interesting injury

Mendonca was released from UFC after his third loss that came against Jesus Aguilar in February. In October, he won against Luan Matheus at Centurion Fighting Championship 23. The 25-year-old recently bounced back from his 3-fight losing streak through a win in CFC, however now he is facing an unwanted hiatus due to this bizarre injury.

When fans saw the news, they wrote things like, “terrible tragedy,” and “fracture? we got a bone in there??” Some followers were concerned and some did not understand how to process this particular information. One MMA follower wrote, “Yaaaa ima need this off my tl. Tf.” Another follower said, “Damn get well bro.”

One follower who was experienced in BJJ gave their own experience with injuries during training. They wrote, “I’ve been training BJJ a long time, I’ve had my “giggleberries” crunched but never the “twig”. In fact, not being careful while training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can cause severe injuries under the belt. Dr. Jed Kaminestky, a clinical assistant professor at NYU Medical Center and medical advisor for Promescent, said that while fracturing sensitive bits is rare, it could occur after a strong push or punch. He also mentioned that the area needed to have proper blood flow for recovery from this type of injury. On the same note, a follower commented, “… kinda weird but I think he must have been semi-hard or something.”

Another fan advised, “Guys this is why you always wear a cup,” while a netizen said the opposite, “Most won’t train or compete with a cup, it becomes a fulcrum and can cause massive injuries.” Another follower wrote, “Rumour has it, he was training with Jon Jones every day.” We all know how dangerous Jon Jones is as a fighter. He even restored his legacy via technical KO against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. So it is natural that if someone trains with him they are in for a gruelling day.

While fans had their theories about the injury, two people in the comments did not know how to react. One fan said, “What am I supposed to do with this information?” while another chimed in, “I don’t even wanna know the details.” This injury might sound hilarious but it is a pretty painful one. So if you are a BJJ enthusiast and train in the same, either wear a cup or exercise extreme caution and care while rolling.