
????: MMA Mania
Behind The Grind recently caught up with Canadian UFC welterweight Tristan “Boondock” Connelly (14-6) as he was sitting outside on a sunny day enjoying the weather in Victoria, British Columbia. Connelly went to Victoria to get surgery on an injury suffered in a car accident. The 34-year-old said he had a badly herniated disk in his neck which he has been dealing with for over a year and a half.
“I tried rehab but wasn’t getting close to being able to train or do anything,
he said, “I’m letting it heal up and hopefully I’m back in there sooner than later. The doctors are saying probably around six months. I am definitely happy that I got the surgery. This is definitely the worst pain I’ve ever been through. I put everything into trying to get better on my own, but it just wasn’t happening. As much as six months seems a long time, it’s relatively short if all goes well. Right now, I can’t lift more than ten pounds for a bit or move my head around so I’m just trying to hang out and lay low. I am staying positive.”
Connelly will be heading down to Las Vegas soon to corner fellow Canadian fighter Cole Smith (7-1). Smith will be fighting Hunter Azure (8-1) at UFC Vegas 9 on September 5.
In Vegas, “Boondock” will undergo some physiotherapy to continue on his road to recovery.