Mateus Mendonca sustained a painful injury in training (Image: 2023 Zuffa LLC)
Former UFC star Mateus Mendonca has vowed to never train without a protective cup again after he had to undergo emergency surgery in Sao Paulo due to a fractured penis. The harrowing injury occurred in Maranhao, Brazil, sidelining the 25-year-old for two months and halting his training as he embarks on the road to recovery.
A colleague of ex-UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira, ‘Bocao’, as he’s known, hasn’t had the best luck recently, suffering three losses in the octagon from 2023 to 2024 across bantamweight and flyweight divisions. Released from the UFC after these setbacks, the Brazilian bounced back with a swift 20-second kneebar win against Luan Matheus in a Centurion Fighting featherweight bout last October, boosting his MMA tally to 11-3.
Yet, his current focus is solely on getting back into fighting shape after the wince-inducing mishap during a training session. He recounted the chilling details of the accident, which happened while practising Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and confessed that the full extent of the injury didn’t hit him until a month later.
Mendonca has since pledged to “warn” others about the importance of wearing protective gear in martial arts. He revealed his main two symptoms were a burning sensation and a lump.
‘Bocao’ Mendonca is resorting to raffling off his UFC memorabilia on social media to make ends meet, as he’s currently unable to fight or earn extra income from teaching martial arts. Recounting the excruciating pain he endured following a training injury, he revealed how he initially continued sparring despite the incident.
Mateus Mendonca has endured a difficult time lately (Image: getty)
“I went to train jiu-jitsu at my teacher’s gym the day before I returned to Sao Paulo,” Mendonca shared with AgFight. “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.”
A month later, while training without any discomfort, he noticed a lump and promptly sought medical attention.
“So I went to the hospital. When I got there, the doctor did an exam and immediately transferred me to another hospital for surgery.”
Mateus Mendonca suffered a unique and painful injury during training (Image: undefined)
Mendonca also took the opportunity to stress the importance of protective gear in combat sports. “It’s a good idea to warn everyone,” he advised.
“All the guys who train jiu-jitsu, grappling, MMA, anything that involves contact: wear a cup to avoid accidents. This had never happened to me. It was the first time and look what happened. I had to have surgery. I had to be out of action for two months.”
“The doctor told me to avoid training and teaching,” Mendonca explained, detailing the harsh reality of stepping back from his passion in martial arts. “I have to stay at home and do nothing. I can’t teach and train, so I’m raffling that to have some money. I have a little daughter, and I brought my family with me to Sao Paulo to start training.”
Once entering the UFC on a wave of excitement following a notable Contender Series victory in 2022, Mendonca’s career faced setbacks after his third defeat at the hands of Jesus Aguilar in February.
Despite tasting victory in his latest bout, Mendonca now must scale a mountain in 2025 to reclaim the shining UFC reputation he once held.