Jimi Manuwa releases a statement following his UFC Sao Paulo pullout.

Manuwa was scheduled to take on Glover Teixeira in the main event of the card. Teixeira ended up pulling out with an injury. Thiago Santos would replace Teixeira. The “Poster Boy” then suffered a last-minute injury and was forced to be removed from UFC Sao Paulo. Manuwa has been replaced by Eryk Anders.

Manuwa hopped on Instagram to issue a statement on having to pull out of UFC Sao Paulo:

“I’m truly gutted. The day after I landed in Brazil I went for my last hard training session. During that session of sprints I tore my hamstring, and after getting it assessed in hospital, doctors diagnosed it as a severe tear greater than 50%. They told me it will be a minimum of 6 weeks recovery time. I’ll be working hard everyday to get back so I can continue to put on great fights for everyone to watch. I was 100% ready and looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans in Sao Paulo and around the world. I made a lot of sacrifices and even missed my daughter’s 10th birthday. I’m sorry Havana, I love you, Daddy is on his way home. I want to thank everyone of you for the love and support you have sent my way. Without all of you none of this is possible. I can’t wait to come back and put on a show for you all. Lions eat first.”