Did UFC fighter Austin Hubbard suffer the same leg injury that Tiger Woods possibly did?
UFC fighter Austin Hubbard had suffered from a rare health scare back in 2019, a condition that legendary golfer Tiger Woods now might be facing as well.
After picking up a decision against Kyle Prepolec at UFC Fight Night 158: Cowboy vs. Gaethje, Austin Hubbard passed out in the hotel elevator and had to be rushed to Richmond Hospital.
It was reported later that Austin Hubbard was suffering from Compartment Syndrome. Austin Hubbard was accompanied by his teammates including UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes, who later called it a 'freak accident' on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show. He also revealed that the doctors told him it was the first-ever case of the syndrome in UFC's 26-year history. (via: ESPN)
"It's like when you go to the grocery store and you pick up a watermelon and you feel how tight it is, that's how his upper leg felt. It was hard," Curtis Blaydes said.
As it turned out, leg kicks received from his opponent Kyle Prepolec had blood pressure build in Austin Hubbard's right leg to extreme levels and it had to be cut open to surgically release the pressure.
Austin Hubbard later shared a picture of his leg post-surgery.
Is Tiger Woods suffering from Compartment Syndrome like Austin Hubbard?
The veteran golfer was involved in a car accident in California on early Tuesday morning.
The statement released by his team on Wood's Twitter account revealed that he had suffered "significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity", for which he had undergone surgeries and got a rod and screws implanted. According to Anish Mahajan, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Tiger Woods also needed "surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling" stemming from muscle and soft-tissue trauma.
Despite all the other compound fractures that Tiger Woods have sustained in the accident, the last bit of the statement is what had made his fans most concerned. Health experts around the world have identified it as the same condition that Austin Hubbard suffered from, called Compartment Syndrome.
Orthopedic surgeon Jonathan D. Gelber writes on the matter for The Guardian:
"The most recent statement concerning Woods mentioned releasing the covering of his muscles to relieve pressure. Of all the potential injuries mentioned, this is the most rare, and often the most serious. It points to a condition called compartment syndrome, which is a true orthopedic emergency. As bleeding or swelling occurs in the leg, the pressure can overpower the body’s ability to pump blood to the leg muscles. As a result, the muscle can lose blood flow and begin to die if the pressure is not released. This may require multiple large incisions around the leg. Once the swelling goes down, the skin can sometimes be closed again side-to-side, but other times the leg may require a skin graft."
It is still too early to say whether the accident will gravely impact the professional career of Tiger Woods.
Austin Hubbard successfully recovered from the ailment and has competed in UFC three more times ever since. He has lost to Mark O. Madsen and Joe Solecki but won one in the middle against Max Rohskopf.