Yazmin Jauregui went under the knife.
The UFC strawweight prospect had a surgery earlier this month to repair an umbilical hernia that surfaced during her preparation for UFC 290 in July. Jauregui (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) recently revealed the news to MMA Junkie.
“I just got a surgery done. I went under the knife less than (three) weeks ago because I had an issue on my stomach,” Jauregui said in Spanish. “I got an umbilical hernia, and it was bothering me, so I had to do a surgery, and now I’m in recovery. I’m here (vacationing) with my family, taking it easy, so I can recover and be able to return. Health always comes first.”
Jauregui suffered her first professional defeat at UFC 290 in Las Vegas. She was stopped in a TKO by Brazil’s Denise Gomes just 20 seconds into the fight.
The Mexican fighter said the hernia didn’t bother her too much ahead of UFC 290, and she was able to prepare properly despite the injury. However, after the fight, it was when Jauregui began having issues with the hernia.
“I actually got it in the last month of camp,” Jauregui said. “I began seeing a mass in my abdomen, and it was like a big ball right next to the belly button. I was aware that my belly button had erupted, and I went to do a check-up, and evidently I had a hernia.
“After the fight, once I tried to get back to training the following week, I began getting abdomen pain whenever I would do force. The area hurt. I was getting a lot of inflammation. The doctors told me I needed a surgery, but that I could wait if it didn’t hurt. It hurt, but it wasn’t too, too bad, and they told me some people put it off two or three years until it gets worse, but I’m a professional athlete, so I got it done now.”
Jauregui is three weeks into her recovery. She was given two months of rehab and an extra month before she could train full on. As of now, Jauregui is just working on mobility but is itching to fight again. She hopes it’s December or early 2024.
“Thank God my body and my physique, the work I’ve done as an athlete, it’s given me a recovery faster than normal,” Jauregui said. “I would like to say that December maybe I could fight that month because I would like to fight again this year, but the truth is that it all depends on how I feel and recover. If I can be in the octagon in December, great, let’s go. But if it’s January, then we fight in January, but the main goal is to fully recover and then go.
