Pumped up UFC star appears to injure himself BEFORE fight as fans spot painful moment and say ‘that backfired’

UFC star Chris Barnett appeared to injure his ankle just moments BEFORE he was due to fight. The 18st 8lb heavyweight faced Nigerian Kennedy Nzechukwu on the UFC 308 card in Abu Dhabi. And Barnett got off to the worst possible start before the bout had even begun.

As he was being introduced by legendary announcer Bruce Buffer, a pumped up Barnett jumped up but came down hard on his ankle. The American was then stopped in a round and fans reckon he only had himself to blame. One said: "That backfired.



Stick to fighting." READ MORE UFC Another added: "Damn that must feel terrible." One joked: "My goat.

" Another said: "People need to learn to stop jumping right before a fight." Despite the speculation, Barnett said on social media: "Fake News. I got hurt with the spinning hook kick.

" Most read in MMA CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS Barnett, 38, slipped to three defeats in his last five after the first-round loss to Nzechukwu, 32. In the night's main event , Ilia Topuria, 27, knocked out Max Holloway, 32, to retain his UFC featherweight title..