Former UFC flyweight and current Rizin FF bantamweight Ian McCall is one unlucky guy when it comes to MMA. Despite long being a member of the 125-pound elite, strange happenings always kept McCall from ever gaining momentum during his time in the UFC.
An officiating error prevented him from a potential shot at a UFC title. Then came the injuries. And a blood infection. It wasn’t just McCall’s troubles that kept him from competing, either, as he had three consecutive fights canceled due to injuries and/or illnesses suffered by his opponents.
A breakup with the UFC and transition to Japan’s Rizin FF promotion was supposed to offer him a fresh start. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Debuting opposite Manel Kape in Rizin‘s Bantamweight Grand Prix, McCall was handed an early exit from the tournament due to a TKO via cut. A cut he suffered as his face was dragged along the ring ropes during a takedown attempt. Check out the video here:
The strange sequence sliced McCall’s face wide open and instantly painted both men red. The referee broke things up not long after and, after seeing the severity of the cut, declared Kape the winner by TKO at 1:48 of Round 1.
McCall was ultimately fine after the bout apart from the cut and took to Twitter to discuss the latest unfortunate turn in his career.
“Well I’m officially the unluckiest person the sport of MMA ever,” he said (warning: NSFW language). “Cut from f–king a ring rope. Not the loud mouth c–t I was about to smash.”
The Bantamweight Grand Prix will continue on without McCall, with Kape facing former UFC title contender Kyoji Horiguchi in the semifinals on New Year’s Eve.
The good news for McCall is that, in all likelihood, the cut won’t put him on the shelf for too long. Look for him to climb back into the ring in early 2018, possibly for a rematch with Kape.
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