NYSAC Suspends 19 Fighters Indefinitely

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) was not messing around in the wake of the UFC 281 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Sat. night (Nov. 12, 2022) at Madison Square Garden in New Yor…


UFC 281: Adesanya v Pereira
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) was not messing around in the wake of the UFC 281 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Sat. night (Nov. 12, 2022) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, handing down a whopping 19 indefinite suspensions in the wake of the violent mixed martial arts (MMA) action that took place in the “Big Apple.”

Chief among them were event headliners Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya. “Poatan” stopped “The Last Stylebender” by way of technical knockout but will need to be cleared by a physician before he can return to competition and will be out no less than 30 days. Adesanya will also need a physician’s clearance and is benched for a minimum of 60 days.

Complete UFC 281 medical suspensions below:

Alex Pereira: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Israel Adesanya: Suspended indefinitely; 60 days mandatory rest
Pereira def. Adesanya by TKO (punches) at 2:01 of round five

Zhang Weili: 7 days mandatory rest
Carla Esparza: 7 days mandatory rest
Zhang def. Esparza by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:05 of round two

Dustin Poirier: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Michael Chandler: Suspended indefinitely; 60 days mandatory rest
Poirier def. Chandler by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:00 of round three

Chris Gutierrez: 7 days mandatory rest
Frankie Edgar: Suspended indefinitely; 90 days mandatory rest
Gutierrez def. Edgar by knockout (flying knee) at 2:01 of round one

Dan Hooker: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Claudio Puelles: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Hooker def. Puelles by TKO (body kick) at 4:06 of round two

Renato Moicano: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Brad Riddell: Suspended indefinitely; 45 days mandatory rest
Moicano def. Riddell by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:20 of round one

Ryan Spann: 7 days mandatory rest
Dominick Reyes: Suspended indefinitely; 90 days mandatory rest
Spann def. Reyes by KO (punch) at 1:20 of round one

Erin Blanchfield: 7 days mandatory rest
Molly McCann: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Blanchfield def. McCann by submission (kimura) at 3:37 of round one

Andre Petroski: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Wellington Turman: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Petroski def. Turman by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

Matt Frevola: 7 days mandatory rest
Ottman Azaitar: Suspended indefinitely; 90 days mandatory rest
Frevola def. Azaitar by KO (punches) at 2:30 of round one

Karolina Kowalkiewicz: 7 days mandatory rest
Silvana Gomez Juarez: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Kowalkiewicz def. Gomez by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Michael Trizano: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Seung Woo Choi: Suspended indefinitely; 90 days mandatory rest
Trizano def. Choi by TKO (punches) at 4:51 of round one

Montel Jackson: 7 days mandatory rest
Julio Arce: Suspended indefinitely; 30 days mandatory rest
Jackson def. Arce by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

Carlos Ulberg: 7 days mandatory rest
Nicolae Negumereanu: Suspended indefinitely; 90 days mandatory rest
Ulberg def. Negumereanu by KO (punches) at 3:44 of round one

Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. In addition, not all injuries are recorded during the post-fight examination and often times surface in follow-up tests.

For wall-to-wall coverage of the UFC 281 PPV event click here.