When asked what the hardest thing was about his time out of the UFC, Tyson Pedro takes a long pause.
“I can’t stress how much I love fighting, and love training,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“Not getting to do what you love is a real downer. It affected everything in life – I could tell it was affecting my relationships with people, affecting how I was treating everything.
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“You know when they say ‘love yourself’? That’s what I do for myself. I wake up and love going in and getting punched in the face, so not being able to do that was pretty stressful.”
Pedro will return at UFC Fight Night 207 against journeyman Ike Villanueva. It’s a kind match-up for the Australian, with the 37-year-old American having lost four of his five fights in the sport’s top promotion.
“It’s been way too long, man. It was almost a burden at first with all of this pressure from everyone asking when I’d fight again – but it’s good,” he said.
Pedro is returning from three separate knee injuries, the first an ACL tear in his last professional fight, back in late 2018, which he had a hamstring graft for.
He then tore his meniscus and then opted for a third surgery when he was told by doctors that things could easily deteriorate.
“When they saw the hamstring they said ‘mate, this is like a band-aid’. If it happens again then you’re out for a long time. You can either do the patella, or risk going in for your first fight and blowing it out again,” he revealed.
“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. They said I could fight soon, or do another 12 months on the sideline. But I know it was the right call now.”
The best sign, Pedro said, came recently when he woke up and accidentally put his knee brace on his good leg because he couldn’t tell the difference.
“Pretty much the whole time I knew I’d be fighting again – but then your family gets involved, people asking me if I’m going to go back to bricklaying – and I’m like, ‘come on guys’,” he said.
He credits some brutal rehab at Ethos Performance – and conditioning coach Meer Awny – as the main catalyst for his recovery.
“I owe him a lot – he would never take anything but that guy kept me prepared,” he said.
“Whatever we could do. I’d be sitting on a box, or doing ski rows, he was always pushing me and I was always maintaining some level of fitness, as well as the mental side.”
The 30-year-old has been busy while not fighting. Along with his mate and UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, they launched their own beer, Drink West, and a wings and beer restaurant to go with. They also recently launched an Italian eatery in Penrith.
Some might be jealous if they were trapped on the sidelines while their best friend continued to impress the world – but for Pedro, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“He’s gone to the moon, and I love seeing it. I wish nothing but the best for him and to see what he’s changed in his lifestyle and what he’s accomplished, I love that s–t.”