Author: Matthew Roth

Is UFC Fighter Insurance to Blame for the String of Injuries?

It seems like all I’ve done lately is write about all the injuries that have occurred in MMA in the past two weeks. I find myself in the role of “bearer of bad news,” and quite frankly I’m getting kind of tired of it. I’m tired of getting excited for f…

It seems like all I’ve done lately is write about all the injuries that have occurred in MMA in the past two weeks. I find myself in the role of “bearer of bad news,” and quite frankly I’m getting kind of tired of it. I’m tired of getting excited for fights and cards only to have them unceremoniously called off because of injuries. 

In fact, in all my time as a fan of MMA, I can’t remember the last time that the UFC has suffered such an awful string of injuries. Sure, every so often an undercard fighter would get injured in training, but no one decides to pass on a card because Evan Dunham or Byron Bloodworth pulls out of a fight. I can handle seeing an undercard fight get rearranged. It’s just the nature of the business. 

So, when the UFC gets hit with a plague of injuries, how am I supposed to react? Am I supposed to think that it’s all just coincidental? That all of these fighters just happen to be getting injured all around the same time? Or, is there a deeper reason for fighters such as Vitor Belfort, Brian Stann and now Jose Aldo to pull out of their headlining fights?

Through various talks with friends involved in the industry in some capacity, the discussions always seem to come back to the same thing: Zuffa’s fighter insurance.

When it was first announced, it was praised by fans and detractors as a huge step forward for MMA. Here was a promotion that was looking out for their fighters and ensuring they wouldn’t have a stack of medical bills and debt should they get injured in training. 

It appears now that the announcement that advanced the sport may be the the UFC’s worst enemy. Prior to offering insurance, fighters literally couldn’t afford to pull out of fights.

The cost was just too great—not just because of the medical expenses, but because after paying for an entire training camp, they relied on their fight purses to survive until their next booking. 

Any nagging injuries could be covered up until post-fight when the UFC covered the cost for any nagging injuries. The only catch is that they couldn’t talk about these injuries on social media or disclose them to the commission in their pre-fight medicals. 

With the UFC now covering medical bills, fighters are less inclined to fight hurt. The industry’s advancement in fighter pay and sponsorship has also ensured that fighters can get by longer in between fights without entering the cage. 

Dana White told Ariel Helwani after UFC on FX 3 that he believes fighters are getting injured because they’re training too hard. While that may be the case, they’re also pulling out of fights because the UFC is covering their bills.

As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. The UFC is finding that out the hard way. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FX 3 Johnson vs. McCall Results: Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

As a single male living in a major city, giving up my weekends to cover MMA is often an experiment in cost-benefit analysis. Some weekends, I love covering fights and wouldn’t give it up for anything. At other times, I tend to think to myself, “self, w…

As a single male living in a major city, giving up my weekends to cover MMA is often an experiment in cost-benefit analysis. Some weekends, I love covering fights and wouldn’t give it up for anything. At other times, I tend to think to myself, “self, why aren’t you out and about doing your thing?”

Last night, the UFC’s totally under-hyped UFC on FX 3 card made me recognize why I’d much rather watch cage fighting than party in downtown Austin. The card lacked the marketable big name, but featured some interesting up-and-coming talent. It doesn’t hurt that the main event was a rematch of one of my favorite fights of the year thus far.

So with that epiphany, let’s take a look at what I learned and what questions were answered at UFC on FX 3. 

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UFC on FX 3 Results: Full-Fight Highlights for Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson

Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall faced off again at UFC on FX 3 for a chance to face Joseph Benavidez for the UFC flyweight title. Their first fight is considered an early candidate for fight of the year, which ended in controversy due to the Australi…

Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall faced off again at UFC on FX 3 for a chance to face Joseph Benavidez for the UFC flyweight title. Their first fight is considered an early candidate for fight of the year, which ended in controversy due to the Australian commission tabulating the score cards incorrectly. Due to how exciting the first fight was, there were concerns that the rematch wouldn’t live up to the expectations.

Those concerns were completely misplaced as the two fighters continued where they left off four months prior. The two fighters stood toe to toe and traded punches and kicks for another fifteen minutes. When the horn sounded, it was Johnson who proved to be the better man.  

From the Bleacher Report play by play:

Round 3: The round opens with the fighters in the clinch. Demetrious landing some quick punches and McCall responds with his own. McCall tries for a takedown and when Demetrious clinches, he attacks the body. Demetrious lands some knees to the body and McCall with an elbow on the break. Demetrious gets McCall to the mat but struggles to hold the position. McCall back to his feet and they land simultaneous punches on the break. Strikes land for both in the center of the cage. McCall trips Johnson and lands a knee to the head as he stands. Johnson catches a leg and lands punches to the head. McCall clinches against the fence and they trade knees to the body and punches. McCall with a jumping knee on the break. They clinch again and throw more knees to the body. On the break Demetrious lands a nice right hand and a push kick. Last minute and they are keeping a ridiculous pace. Demetrious backs McCall against the fence and looks for a single. McCall rolls out and they end the round in a clinch. 10-9 Demetrious Johnson.

The win earns Johnson a title shot and dethrones McCall as the top flyweight in the world. Stay with Bleacher Report for more UFC on FX 3 fallout. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White Says Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 2 Targeted for UFC 152

Junior dos Santos won his UFC heavyweight belt at UFC on FOX 1 when he knocked out Cain Velasquez in the first round. It was an incredibly quick affair that left many fans feeling unfulfilled. Even UFC President Dana White was critical of the bout when…

Junior dos Santos won his UFC heavyweight belt at UFC on FOX 1 when he knocked out Cain Velasquez in the first round. It was an incredibly quick affair that left many fans feeling unfulfilled. Even UFC President Dana White was critical of the bout when he questioned Velasquez’s game plan in the post-fight show.

At UFC 146 last month, both fighters won their fights in dominant fashion. Velasquez completely mauled Antonio Silva to earn a first-round stoppage. Dos Santos was just as impressive when he stopped Frank Mir in the second after picking him apart with strikes for eight minutes.

Following the pay-per-view, it was announced that the UFC was trying to put together a rematch between the two heavyweight giants.

Well, it looks like we don’t have to wait, as Ariel Helwani tweeted earlier this evening that the UFC was targeting UFC 152 in Toronto as the battleground for this heavyweight rematch: 

This is fantastic news for the UFC, which has been dealing with a string of injuries that have deeply affected fight cards. A bout between Velasquez and Dos Santos is sure to bring in a ton of pay-per-view buys as well as a sellout crowd in Toronto. 

It’s also great news for the Canadian fans, who always want the biggest and best fights. In Velasquez vs. Dos Santos II, they’ll get both. And with the news that they are trying to put B.J. Penn vs Rory MacDonald on the card, UFC 152 could turn into a can’t-miss event. 

So, mark your calendars—UFC 152 is the new UFC 148. Everyone’s gonna wanna go! 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White Reports That BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald Targeted for Toronto

The rumored return of BJ Penn is one step closer to becoming a reality says UFC President Dana White.White confirmed at the UFC on FX 3 press conference that Joe Silva will be speaking with Penn this evening about a proposed bout with Rory MacDonald. T…

The rumored return of BJ Penn is one step closer to becoming a reality says UFC President Dana White.

White confirmed at the UFC on FX 3 press conference that Joe Silva will be speaking with Penn this evening about a proposed bout with Rory MacDonald. The bout is targeted for UFC 152 in Toronto on September 22nd.

Following a hard-fought decision loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October of 2011, Penn announced his retirement from the sport. It was bitter sweet for many as he’s always been a fan favorite. It just seemed like his heart was no longer in fighting. By all accounts, he also wanted to spend more time with his family. 

The UFC attempted to drag Penn out of retirement with a proposed bout against Josh Koscheck. Penn apparently was not interested, and he turned it down. He apparently was enjoying spending his time in retirement. 

Earlier this week, news broke that Penn was interested in facing Rory MacDonald. Rory wanted to face the former welterweight champion before Penn hit the downswing of his career.

The bout is not yet confirmed as Penn still needs to speak with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. However, should he agree to face the up-and-coming welterweight, it is expected the bout will be the co-main event of the card.

It is expected for the fight to be confirmed later this evening or tomorrow morning. 

**Update: The UFC has announced that both Penn and MacDonald have verbally agreed to the bout, which is tentatively scheduled to take place September 22 on the UFC 152 card in Toronto.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FX 3 Johnson vs McCall Results: Grades for Every Fighter on the Main Card

UFC on FX 3 played host to the rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson. The bout proved to be as exciting as the first, as the two flyweights battled for another three rounds to a close decision. “Mighty Mouse” proved to be the better man, as…

UFC on FX 3 played host to the rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson. The bout proved to be as exciting as the first, as the two flyweights battled for another three rounds to a close decision. “Mighty Mouse” proved to be the better man, as he took a unanimous decision over “Uncle Creepy.”

In the co-main event, Erick Silva showed that he is a fighter to watch as he submitted Charlie Brenneman in the first round. He faced questions about how he’d handle Brenneman’s wrestling, and showed that he’s ready to face better competition in the division. 

Mike Pyle also picked up a big win, as he put Josh Neer to sleep to end the first round. Eddie Wineland picked up his first UFC win in the opening fight of the FX portion. 

With the night over, let’s grade the performances of all the fighters on the main card. 

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