A.J. Dobson shows off nasty abscess caused by leg kicks in UFC 280 defeat

If you need another reminder that mixed martial arts is a brutal sport, take a look at the injury A.J. Dobson suffered in his loss to Armen Petrosyan at UFC 280.

Dobson was defeated by Petrosyan via unanimous decision, and one of the weapons the Armenian kickboxer used to great effect was leg kicks. Throughout the fight, Petrosyan hammered Dobson’s shin, splitting it apart. Dobson’s output slowed down to the point where he lost on the judges scorecards, and the damage to his leg also led to some serious complications following the fight.

“After my last fight I was left with a few hematomas on my shin from eating leg kicks,” Dobson wrote on Instagram. “About a week ago it violently turned into an abscess and within two days I was unable to walk on my own and had an unwavering fever.”

“We’re back on the road to recovery but I still have a lot to be thankful for. I might be out for a while but the goal remains the same! Thanks to my team and management for the help and support! I’ll be back soon.”

Dobson shared a series of photos of the leg in question as it went from bad to worse. We’d suggest not looking too closely unless you’re willing to see some pretty nasty business:

The defeat to Armen Petrosyan drops A.J. Dobson to 6-2, with both losses coming in his two UFC fights. Petrosyan advanced to 7-2 with a 2-1 record in the UFC, one of those victories coming against the extremely tough Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues.

Dobson recently announced he was switching gyms. In another statement on Instagram, he wrote “I am no longer affiliated with Immortal Martial Arts. I wish them the best and am truly grateful for the time spent using their cage and airdyne [bike].”