There is no rest for the wicked.
MMA Junkie has reported that TUF alum Dustin Pague, fresh off of a first round submission win over Jared Papazian, will take on Ken Stone this Friday as part of the UFC on FX 4 card headlined by Gray Maynard and Clay Guida, set for Atlantic City.
Though news of a fighter stepping into to replace a sidelined colleague is becoming less and less surprising as the cursed summer of MMA injuries rages on, the circumstances surrounding Pague’s substitution are certainly noteworthy.
When Pague steps into the Octagon Friday, June 22, and it will mark the second time he has done so in a span of two weeks.
Pague last competed on the third installment of the UFC on FX series on June 8. In that contest Pague scored a quick submission victory and took little damage over the 3:21 duration of the fight with Jared Papazian.
While the rapidity of competition that Pague has indulged in is very unusual, it is not entirely without precedent; in 2010 Chris Leben fought two times over a 13 day period, defeating both Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
While Jarped Papazian and Ken Stone are not Simpson and Akiyama, Pague would love nothing more than to follow in Leben’s footsteps, and take two “W’s” in a two week period.
Pague is just 24 years old and holds a 1-1 UFC record. While he has plenty of time to amass some UFC wins, there is no better way to jump-start an MMA career than staying active.
Fighting twice in 14 days—that is indeed staying active.
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