Alex Oliveira injured by grenade fragments in Christmas eve incident in Brazil

MMAfighting.com

UFC welterweight Alex Oliveira suffered a bizarre injury on Christmas eve in Brazil.

Born and raised in Tres Rios, a small town located 80 miles from Rio de Janeiro, the fighter known as “Cowboy” went to buy gasoline for his mother’s car Monday night when he saw members of his family involved in an altercation. Oliveira stopped his car, and moments later a grenade was thrown at his direction.

MMA Fighting confirmed the news after the UFC fighter himself explained the situation to local outlet TV Rio Sul.

“One guy came up and pointed a gun at my nephew’s face, and that’s when people started pushing each other,” Oliveira told the website. “They had machetes, knives, a grenade. They threw a grenade in my direction. Fragments flew to my leg and my foot.”

Oliveira went to a local hospital and underwent a small surgery on his leg to remove the fragments, he told TV Rio Sul. He went to police later that day to help officers understand what happened.

“Cowboy” last fought on Dec. 8, losing via second-round submission to Gunnar Nelson in Toronto, Canada. The Brazilian welterweight needed 38 stitches in his forehead after the fight.