Someday, in a far-off time where everything goes according to plan and good news thrives, we’re going to see a fight card just the way the UFC intended. No injuries. Every fighter will stay healthy, and the mad scrambles, the disappointment and the ensuing depression will be non-existent.
Unfortunately, that day wasn’t yesterday.
Instead word dribbled out that both Rampage Jackson and Jose Aldo would be withdrawing from UFC 153 with injuries, crippling another pay-per-view within the meager span of a few hours. That’s now five of the six men who were on the original event poster, for all those keeping count at home. Maybe 2012 really is cursed, or maybe it’s time for the UFC to start rethinking some things. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to invest in a few thousand rabbit’s foots and four-leaf clovers.
How do promotion officials plan on salvaging the event? At this point, it’s anyone’s best guess. There’s no shortage of guys stepping up to fight Frankie Edgar, that’s for sure. The usual suspects have already called for it (Chad Mendes, Urijah Faber), and some unusual ones have as well (Ian McCall, Nik Lentz). I’d suspect the light heavyweight division is doing the same for Glover Teixeira, or at least, it’d be in their best interest to after the whole Jon Jones fiasco, otherwise an already smoldering Dana White may be handing out pink slips like it’s Christmas.
This injury epidemic has gone on long enough for it to start sinking in, this actually may be our new reality. It’s unfortunate for the fight loving community, but it’s even more unfortunate for Zuffa. Fans planning to travel to distant events to see their favorite fighters can only be burned so many times before they give up and stop buying tickets. Sadly, ‘card subject to change’ is taking on a new meaning.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Aldo injured, off UFC 153. UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was forced to withdraw from the main event of UFC 153 due to a foot injury. Thus far the UFC has issued no word whether his opponent, Frankie Edgar, will remain on the card. Earlier this month, Aldo was struck by a car in a motorcycle accident that reportedly left his foot swollen.
Jackson injured, off UFC 153. In yet another vital blow to UFC 153, co-headliner Quinton “Rampage” Jackson withdrew from the event due to an elbow injury. UFC officials are currently working to find a replacement opponent to keep Jackson’s opponent, Glover Teixeira, on the card.
Jones excited to speak with White. Speaking on the UFC 152 conference call, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones revealed he had not spoken with Dana White since the cancellation of UFC 151, but is looking forward to sitting down with his boss face-to-face when the two land in Toronto.
St-Pierre, Condit agree to advanced drug testing. Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit each agreed to additional drug testing in advance of their UFC 154 welterweight title unification bout, according a report from Sportsnet. St-Pierre wishes to hand the keys to testing over to VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency), while Condit prefers the USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) to handle matters.
Hollett finds way back onto UFC 152. An achilles injury to Vladimir Matyushenko opened the door for Roger Hollett to be re-booked into a match-up against Matt Hamill at UFC 152. Hollett was initially slated to make his UFC debut against Hamill, however an odd contractual stipulation with Bellator blocked the booking the first time around.
MEDIA STEW
In other, non-injury related news, apparently Anderson Silva has a hidden talent for spinning things on his finger while posing with fans, as evidenced by the end of his latest video blog.
(HT: Reddit)
Depending on which way you lean, this preview for the latest TUF season will either: A.) Get you completely psyched, or B.) Remind you why you’ll probably never watch a single second.
Need evidence of MMA’s bleed-over into pop culture? Check out this clip from the new Batman: The Dark Knight Returns animated film. You might see a few moves that would put a grin on Ronda Rousey and Rousimar Palhares’ faces.
(HT: MiddleEasy)
Dana White with one reason why MMA needs instant replay: “We should be able to go out and promote Jon Jones as the undisputed, undefeated light heavyweight champion. But we can’t, because there was a guy reffing a fight that didn’t belong there.”
And the quote of the day goes to Mr. Jonathan Dwight Jones: “I poop and it just comes out beet red, every day.” (Seriously, that’s verbatim. Go ahead and fast forward to 3:01 if you don’t believe me.)
REMEMBRANCES
911 was a day we will all never forget. #USA **God Bless Us All**
— Josh Koscheck (@JoshKoscheck) September 11, 2012
#911 these colors don’t run.instagr.am/p/PcjAXazFoQ/
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) September 11, 2012
Honors, reflection, and respect to all those gone and to those still dealing with the affects of 9/11.
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) September 11, 2012
Thoughts & Prayers going out to the families affected by the 9/11 Tragedy. Aloha!tiny.cc/d1qhkw
— BJ PENN (@bjpenndotcom) September 11, 2012
INJURY TRAIN KEEPS ON ROLLIN’
Rampage is hurt and out of UFC 153 RIO. SUCKS!!!!!!
— Dana White (@danawhite) September 11, 2012
Now Aldo is out with foot injury. Main and co main in the same day!! Another amazing day at the UFC. We have some work to do
— Dana White (@danawhite) September 11, 2012
Livin’ in a plan ‘B’ world…. or plan ‘C’… or….
— Sean Shelby (@seanshelby) September 11, 2012
Sorry guys, i really want to fight but is hurting a lot my injuries. Im very sad right now!
— Jose ‘Scarface’ Aldo (@josealdojunior) September 11, 2012
I am upset about rampage, I am in shape I’m healthy. And I pray to God so I don’t get any injury, I’ll fight whoever
— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira) September 11, 2012
Could @ufc be moving towards always having at least one fighter ready on reserve for all main events? Maybe it would help, its an idea.
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) September 11, 2012
THE BEST RESPONSE
@danawhite that’s real bad bro
— Vitor Belfort (@vitorbelfort) September 11, 2012
STEPPING UP
Bulking up for the @frankieedgar fight in case @danawhite @ufc come a knocking. twitter.com/UrijahFaber/st…
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) September 11, 2012
Let’s make it for the interim title and IM IN!!
— chad mendes (@chadmendes) September 11, 2012
I would happily take the fight with Franky. So if the @ufc is still looking for someone, hit me up! @danawhite #UFC #UFC153
— Nik Lentz Ufc mma (@NikLentz) September 11, 2012
Over 4 weeks no weight cut @ufc I’ll do what ever @danawhite wants. As long as it makes the fans happy and puts some $ in my pocket : )
— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) September 12, 2012
INSULT TO INJURY
I got sun poisoning at the coaches challenge today in Vegas!!!! This is what happens when POWDER is in the sun!! twitter.com/danawhite/stat…
— Dana White (@danawhite) September 11, 2012
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Tuesday, September 11, 2012):
– UFC 152: Vladimir Matyushenko (26-6) out with injury, Roger Hollett (13-3) in against Matt Hamill (10-4)
– UFC 153: Jose Aldo (21-1) out with injury opposite Frankie Edgar (14-3-1)
– UFC 153: Rampage Jackson (32-10) out with injury opposite Glover Teixeira (18-2)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes courtesy of Josh Hall: Contracts, How do they Work? The Bellator Story
At Shooto Brazil 33, Eduardo Dantas, the Bellator BW champion, was defeated in a stunning upset by relative unknown fighter Tyson Nam. This fight took place because Bellator had language in Dantas’ contract enabling him to fight outside of Bellator, as long as it was outside of the United States. Bellator’s executives had to have been kicking themselves at this point, because they had Nam under contract previously, but had released him after reneging twice on fights they had offered him.
At this point, the thing to do would be to try and rebuild the fallen champion’s image, unless you are Bellator. Instead, they immediately threatened Nam with legal action, covered by Bloody Elbow’s Chris Hall here, in an attempt to get him into their next bantamweight tournament. They once again wanted to invoke the “matching period” that exists post contract.
Keep in mind that Tyson Nam NEVER stepped into the Bellator cage. He tried to, mind you, but had the opportunity to fight on the bigger stage yanked out from under him. To further rub salt into the wound, after pulling Nam out of the season 7 bantamweight tournament, they released him from his contract. To sum up: He never fought for Bellator, and they twice offered him fights only to rescind the opportunities.
After his victory against their own BW champion, Bellator used the contract that they never, at any point honored, as leverage to try and force the now higher profile Nam to fight in their next tournament. Whether this will hold up in a court of law remains to be seen, but right now Tyson Nam is stuck in limbo. If he fights elsewhere he gets sued, or he can fight for a company that has disrespected him and treated him like a piece of property.
I am not a lawyer, and I have a very limited understanding at best in contract law. This piece is being written from the layman’s position of one fan, and I am more using a common sense approach than a legal one in the following statement.
What Bellator is doing is wrong.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.