UFC Fight Night 98's Douglas Silva de Andrade has absolutely horrible luck with injuries

Douglas Silva de Andrade hasn’t fought since February, and he can thank a terrible string of bad luck for the layoff.

Tonight, de Andrade (23-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) returns from a 21-month layoff to fight bantamweight Henry Briones (16-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 98. The event, including the de Andrade vs. Briones preliminary-card matchup, airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass at Mexico City Arena in Mexico.

So why exactly did it take the 31-year-old Brazilian so long to get back in the cage?

“It was complicated,” he told MMAjunkie. “There were several factors. I had surgery, but it didn’t go right. I had to do it again, but it didn’t heal properly. Then I had to do it yet again. Within a month and a half, I went to the operating room three times.

“Recovery itself was three to four months, so time kept passing by. I had to also deal with some family matters.”

Once that was settled, he began working out again. And again, bad luck followed.

“Once I went back to training, I got injured again,” he said. “I went to Sao Paulo to start my camp. Right at the start, I tore a rib cartilage. To heal up, I had to idle for another two months. That’s why I’m only fighting now, thankfully. My goal, going forward, is to be more active.”

It hasn’t been all bad luck for de Andrade, who opened his career with a 22-1 mark – one that included 18 knockout wins – before signing with the UFC. However, his pro run didn’t necessarily get off to an auspicious start. In just his second pro bout – in a rematch following his pro-debut win over Deivison Francisco Ribeiro – de Andrade was tagged with a no-contest. And the reason sounds pretty painful.

“Deivison is a high-level fighter,” he said. “I beat him on my first fight. The second time we fought, I was wearing a cheap cup. He hit me with a hard knee, and the cup actually cracked, causing a testicular injury. I had to go to the hospital, and the fight was deemed a no-contest.”

After a decision loss to Zubaira Tukhugov on short notice in his UFC debut, de Andrade rebounded with a victory over Cody Gibson. He thinks it was more representative of his abilities.

“When I fought, it was all heart,” he said. “”The loss happened, but it was an opportunity that couldn’t be wasted. I had been training to dispute for the Jungle Fight belt. But I couldn’t waste that golden opportunity. That’s what happened.

“For my second fight, I had more time to prepare, and I was able to find a proper training camp. I did a six-week camp at Pitbull Brothers in Natal. I had a better weight cut, and we were able to put together a good strategy against a taller opponent. Everything was very different from when I only had nine days.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.