UFC welterweight Alex Oliveira "is OK" after suffering leg and foot injuries when he was hit by shrapnel from a grenade explosion during a Christmas Eve altercation near his home outside Rio de Janeiro, his manager confirmed via social media.
According to the Brazilian news site Globo, the 30-year-old Oliveira said he was at a gas station in his hometown, Tres Rios, on Monday when he saw family members involved in an altercation.
"One guy already had a gun in my nephew's face, then began pushing," Oliveira told Globo. "The guys were with a machete, a knife, a grenade, and they threw the grenade at me. Fragments flew on my leg and my foot."
Oliveira went to a hospital to have shrapnel removed, according to the news report, and the fighter then reported the attack to police.
"Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira is OK," his manager, Alex Davis, posted on Twitter on Tuesday. "Having a grenade explode near you but only getting a few shrapnel splinters is a lucky day!"
Oliveira (19-6-1, 2 NC) last fought on Dec. 8 at UFC 231 in Toronto, losing to Gunnar Nelson via second-round submission.
