Former GLORY Kickboxing Champion Gokhan Saki Provides An Update On His Health
At one point one of the most active kickboxers, Gokhan Saki’s MMA career has had a few setbacks. Born in the Netherlands, the 36-year-old is hoping to fix nagging injuries that will lead him to a clear path back to combat sports.
Saki (81-16, 1 NC kickboxing | 1-2 MMA) joined the UFC in 2017 after kickboxing from 2000-2015. Beating Henrique da Silva in his debut, Saki lost to Khalil Rountree Jr. via TKO at UFC 226 in 2018. He hasn’t competed in MMA since, a span of 23 months. Now, via Instagram, he finally revealed why.
Saki underwent surgery to repair a pair of fractured elbows. He is hoping to return to action as soon as he is healed from the second procedure.
“Update for my followers. After a year of pain and injections in my elbows they found out that in my both elbows I have fractured pieces. That caused pain and inflammations. My first surgery is done and it went ✅. Second to come. Within a few weeks I can resume the training hopefully without any pain and obstacles. For every level, there is another devil, that’s life. But remember the darker the night, the brighter the morning so we never ever give up. Keep you guys posted. Thank you all.”
Saki was expected to return in March 2019 but injuries forced him to back out of a fight.
“The Rebel” competed for both K-1 and GLORY when he was kickboxing. The Dutch and Turkish fighter is a former K-1Grand Prix Champion and the first GLORY Light-Heavyweight Champion. He had one MMA appearance during the middle of his career before the UFC, a loss to James Zikic in 2004 for Cage Fighting Championship.
He is not scheduled to face a specific opponent anytime soon.