In a trip to Glory MMA, Steele was rolling with a heavier training partner when things took a turn for the odd. A reckless transition on his opponent’s part turned into a loud popping sound that forced Steele to withdraw from Fury FC 60 and maybe beyond.
“It kind of pisses me off,” Steele said. “Especially when I’m this close to my fight. I’m supposed to fight this week so it kind of pissed me off that he was going this hard. Normally I don’t care and I just kind of avoid those people and I’m pretty good about saying, no, I don’t want to train with this or that person, but yeah, this guy was really trying to get around with me. I was really trying to play defensive in a way, but it was hard. That guy was not really controlled.”
Hoping for an MCL sprain at worst, Steele is putting his trust in his doctor, but would be surprised for a comeback sooner than the end of May. If it is just an MCL sprain, pushing it further could do a lot more damage, resulting in a longer layoff with more serious repercussions.
None of which Steele has any interest in.
“I have a really good doctor, so in like two or three weeks I’ll be back on the mats, flow drilling and things like that,” Steele said. “From there I’ll be able to get a gauge on how my knee feels, but I think that by the end of May I’ll be running 100%. I’m really mad that it happened and then when I let it process, I’m really mad that I’m missing these fights. It’s slowing my whole process down.”
In the meantime, Steele has been sharpening up mentally. With plenty of fighters out there to cross paths with, Steele’s layoff has been filled with quite a bit of studying. As if Steele’s skill wasn’t bad enough for them, Steele with a thorough understanding of every opponent long before he fights them is a whole different animal.
“I’ve been studying more of the local fights lately, like Fury and LFA – all the regional guys that I’ll probably be fighting in the future,” Steele said. “Once I’m able to walk normal I’ll be pretty focused on skill building and adding more tools to my game and drilling nonstop until I can really start hitting hard.”
An injury is never good, but with a renewed sense of excitement and motivation, mixed with plenty of time at the drawing board, Kody Steele might become one of the worst matchups for any fighter when he returns.
For all the best action in combat sports sign up TODAY for UFC FIGHT PASS!
