Okay, so maybe there’s a bright side. But still…is it too late to move this damn card north to San Diego or something? Because at the moment, the biggest Mexican star on the lineup is Kelvin Gastelum, for God’s sake. Bad times.
Okay, so maybe there’s a bright side. But still…is it too late to move this damn card north to San Diego or something? Because at the moment, the biggest Mexican star on the lineup is Kelvin Gastelum, for God’s sake. Bad times.
(“The Dream” is not impressed by your moshing skills. Check out this bromoshop and more here.)
Less than a day after I hinted at the possibility of 2014 becoming the true year of the injury curse, Georges St. Pierre tore his ACL while training for absolutely nothing. Proof of the curse, or of my prophetic abilities as a blogger? I can’t say for certain, but I do know that the job of an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine is becoming more lucrative by the day thanks to UFC stars like Johny Hendricks, Chris Weidman, and Carlos Condit, making my decision to drop out of fancy doctor school and follow my passion of writing fart jokes for a living seem…hasty.
Thankfully, those two-bit body mechanics (technical jargon) won’t be able to get their greasy hands on Diego Sanchez, whom most assumed would be going under the knife after he was (self) poisoned by a raw quail egg and beef tartare at UFC 171. Quite the contrary, however, as Sanchez has not only managed to avoid surgery, but has already booked his next fight against TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson at a Fight Night event in his native Albuquerque on June 7th. A true “mind over matter” story if I’ve ever seen one before.
Sanchez finds himself in a unique position with the UFC, having dropped three out of his past four fights for the first time in his career. His excitement-over-strategy style has been entertaining as of late, sure, but “The Dream” better approach this fight with a more intelligent gameplan than lowering his hands and asking bros to come at him if he wants to score that win he so desperately needs.
(“The Dream” is not impressed by your moshing skills. Check out this bromoshop and more here.)
Less than a day after I hinted at the possibility of 2014 becoming the true year of the injury curse, Georges St. Pierre tore his ACL while training for absolutely nothing. Proof of the curse, or of my prophetic abilities as a blogger? I can’t say for certain, but I do know that the job of an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine is becoming more lucrative by the day thanks to UFC stars like Johny Hendricks, Chris Weidman, and Carlos Condit, making my decision to drop out of fancy doctor school and follow my passion of writing fart jokes for a living seem…hasty.
Thankfully, those two-bit body mechanics (technical jargon) won’t be able to get their greasy hands on Diego Sanchez, whom most assumed would be going under the knife after he was (self) poisoned by a raw quail egg and beef tartare at UFC 171. Quite the contrary, however, as Sanchez has not only managed to avoid surgery, but has already booked his next fight against TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson at a Fight Night event in his native Albuquerque on June 7th. A true “mind over matter” story if I’ve ever seen one before.
Sanchez finds himself in a unique position with the UFC, having dropped three out of his past four fights for the first time in his career. His excitement-over-strategy style has been entertaining as of late, sure, but “The Dream” better approach this fight with a more intelligent gameplan than lowering his hands and asking bros to come at him if he wants to score that win he so desperately needs.
Pearson, on the other hand, has not fought since his Fight Night 30 bout with Melvin Guillard was declared a No Contest due to an illegal knee that wasn’t really illegal. “The Real Deal” was scheduled to rematch Guillard at Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa earlier this month until a knee injury (CURSE!!) forced him to bow out. Now that Guillard has been released by the UFC following his loss to Pearson’s replacement opponent, 46 year-old Olympic sprinter-turned 27 year-old MMA fighter Michael Johnson, the likelihood of the rematch has been downgraded to “nah, son.”
(“It’s the craziest thing, man. We were in the gym playing daddy-horse like normal, and suddenly I just slipped off Andrei’s back and fell directly onto the Duplo castle I built that morning. Coach is always telling me to pick up after myself. Well, now I know.” / Photo via TitoCouture)
It’s not a real injury curse until replacement fighters start pulling out with their own injuries. And so it goes with former flyweight title contender John Dodson, who joined the UFC on FOX 9 card (December 14th, Sacramento) to fill in for Ian McCall against Scott Jorgensen. Unfortunately, Dodson suffered a “serious knee injury” during a training session at Jackson’s MMA yesterday, and will not be able to compete. We have no other details about Dodson’s condition at this time.
Dodson’s injury marks the sixth fighter-withdrawal from UFC on FOX 9, following Anthony Pettis, the aforementioned Uncle Creepy, Kelvin Gastelum, Jamie Varner, and John Moraga. The UFC is currently trying to secure a second replacement opponent for Jorgensen, who looks to make his 125-pound debut at the event.
Luckily, the main card is still looking solid, with fights like Condit vs. Brown, Faber vs. McDonald, Mendes vs. Lentz, and Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 still intact for the time being. Of course, that could change at any moment, so head down to the comments section and submit your predictions for the next injury to befall the lineup; closest guess by fight night wins a CagePotato t-shirt.
Update:MMAWeekly reports that Scott Jorgensen will now face former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky, who is 2-0 since dropping to 125 pounds earlier this year. Makovsky most recently competed last month at RFA 11, where he became the promotion’s flyweight champion with a decision win against Matt Manzanares.
(“It’s the craziest thing, man. We were in the gym playing daddy-horse like normal, and suddenly I just slipped off Andrei’s back and fell directly onto the Duplo castle I built that morning. Coach is always telling me to pick up after myself. Well, now I know.” / Photo via TitoCouture)
It’s not a real injury curse until replacement fighters start pulling out with their own injuries. And so it goes with former flyweight title contender John Dodson, who joined the UFC on FOX 9 card (December 14th, Sacramento) to fill in for Ian McCall against Scott Jorgensen. Unfortunately, Dodson suffered a “serious knee injury” during a training session at Jackson’s MMA yesterday, and will not be able to compete. We have no other details about Dodson’s condition at this time.
Dodson’s injury marks the sixth fighter-withdrawal from UFC on FOX 9, following Anthony Pettis, the aforementioned Uncle Creepy, Kelvin Gastelum, Jamie Varner, and John Moraga. The UFC is currently trying to secure a second replacement opponent for Jorgensen, who looks to make his 125-pound debut at the event.
Luckily, the main card is still looking solid, with fights like Condit vs. Brown, Faber vs. McDonald, Mendes vs. Lentz, and Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 still intact for the time being. Of course, that could change at any moment, so head down to the comments section and submit your predictions for the next injury to befall the lineup; closest guess by fight night wins a CagePotato t-shirt.
Update:MMAWeekly reports that Scott Jorgensen will now face former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky, who is 2-0 since dropping to 125 pounds earlier this year. Makovsky most recently competed last month at RFA 11, where he became the promotion’s flyweight champion with a decision win against Matt Manzanares.
First, we informed you that newly-crowned lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was forced out of the evening’s main event with a(nother) knee injury. Then, we broke the sad news that everyone’s favorite homeless-bashing creepster, Ian McCall, was pulled from the card due to a hand injury. And now, MMAJunkie passes along word that both TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum *and* former WEC champ Jamie Varner have been bitten by the injury bug as well, leaving Court McGee and Pat Healy, respectively, without opponents for the event.
As of this write-up, neither fighter’s camp has disclosed an official injury or a timetable for Gastelum or Varner’s return. Our theory: Gastelum and Varner, besties for lyfe, snuck off to London to see the Catching Fire premiere and attend a scrapbooking workshop. Unicorn stickers will abound.
First, we informed you that newly-crowned lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was forced out of the evening’s main event with a(nother) knee injury. Then, we broke the sad news that everyone’s favorite homeless-bashing creepster, Ian McCall, was pulled from the card due to a hand injury. And now, MMAJunkie passes along word that both TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum *and* former WEC champ Jamie Varner have been bitten by the injury bug as well, leaving Court McGee and Pat Healy, respectively, without opponents for the event.
As of this write-up, neither fighter’s camp has disclosed an official injury or a timetable for Gastelum or Varner’s return. Our theory: Gastelum and Varner, besties for lyfe, snuck off to London to see the Catching Fire premiere and attend a scrapbooking workshop. Unicorn stickers will abound.
Gastelum updates us on the extent of his injury via Twitter. Still no word on Varner.
[UP-UPDATE]
Following in line with Gastelum, Varner just broke the news that he tore his rotator cuff training via Twitter, but has “already started rehab” and will undergo another MRI in six weeks. Stepping in for Varner against Healy will be Bobby Green, who is fresh off a TKO (low, low kicks) over James Krause at Fight for the Troops 3. Just as intriguing a fight as the original, in my opinion, if not more intriguing.
(Now that I’ve successfully taken out Guida via bear pit, I’m just a first round knockout over a late-replacement UFC newbie away from another 40k. BOOM BABY!)
Chad Mendes, reader of the Necronomicon, personification of the injury curse of 2012, has just lost his third straight opponent to injury in the past few months. Since KOing Cody McKenzie with a body shot back at UFC 148, Mendes has been a cursed man. First, he was expected to face Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 6, until Dias hurt his shoulder and withdrew just days out from the event. Dias was replaced by UFC noob Yaotzin Meza, who was thrashed by Mendes inside of two minutes. Then, Mendes was set to fight Manny Gamburyan at UFC 157, until Manny blew off his thumb with a firecracker or some shit and the bout was cancelled altogether.
Then, Mendes was booked against Clay Guida in “The Carpenter’s” sophomore featherweight appearance at UFC on FOX 7, which goes down on April 20th. But wouldn’t you know it, the usually uninjurable (?) Guida has done injured hisself too (via Sherdog):
Chad Mendes is once again without an opponent, as Clay Guida has suffered an undisclosed injury and will be unable to compete at UFC on Fox 7.
Sherdog.com recently confirmed the development with sources close to the situation, who verified that Mendes is still expected to compete at the April 20 event from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., though the search for a new opponent has apparently not gone well.
A perennial top contender with recently developed KO power, it’s no shock that Mendes is strapped for opponents in the featherweight division, especially on short notice. Who would you like to see Mendes fight in Guida’s absence? Personally, I gotta go with Don Zimmer, who has been itching for a fight ever since Pedro Martinez backed out of the rematch.
(Now that I’ve successfully taken out Guida via bear pit, I’m just a first round knockout over a late-replacement UFC newbie away from another 40k. BOOM BABY!)
Chad Mendes, reader of the Necronomicon, personification of the injury curse of 2012, has just lost his third straight opponent to injury in the past few months. Since KOing Cody McKenzie with a body shot back at UFC 148, Mendes has been a cursed man. First, he was expected to face Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 6, until Dias hurt his shoulder and withdrew just days out from the event. Dias was replaced by UFC noob Yaotzin Meza, who was thrashed by Mendes inside of two minutes. Then, Mendes was set to fight Manny Gamburyan at UFC 157, until Manny blew off his thumb with a firecracker or some shit and the bout was cancelled altogether.
Then, Mendes was booked against Clay Guida in “The Carpenter’s” sophomore featherweight appearance at UFC on FOX 7, which goes down on April 20th. But wouldn’t you know it, the usually uninjurable (?) Guida has done injured hisself too (via Sherdog):
Chad Mendes is once again without an opponent, as Clay Guida has suffered an undisclosed injury and will be unable to compete at UFC on Fox 7.
Sherdog.com recently confirmed the development with sources close to the situation, who verified that Mendes is still expected to compete at the April 20 event from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., though the search for a new opponent has apparently not gone well.
A perennial top contender with recently developed KO power, it’s no shock that Mendes is strapped for opponents in the featherweight division, especially on short notice. Who would you like to see Mendes fight in Guida’s absence? Personally, I gotta go with Don Zimmer, who has been itching for a fight ever since Pedro Martinez backed out of the rematch.
Yes, one hundred and four. Triple digits, baby. That startling figure comes to us via MMAFighting.com researcher Steve Borchardt, who tallied up all the injury pullouts by UFC and Strikeforce fighters in 2012, and fed them all into this chronological spreadsheet. (Color key: Injuries to champions are in yellow, all other main event fighters are in red, and co-mainers are in teal. Also, “KO’d by sauna floor when cutting weight” really deserves its own color. An ugly brownish-orange, perhaps.)
We’re all reasonable men and women, right? We know that this explosion in high-profile injury withdrawals can’t really be explained by a “curse,” or bad luck, or terrible coincidence. Grueling training conditions — in which MMA fighters work all year round, scrapping against elite-level teammates rather than paid sparring dummies, executing body-motions that are specifically designed to blow out your knees — has to account for most of it.
But are there other explanations? When you look at all the injuries listed as “Undisclosed” on the chart, you can’t help but speculate…
Yes, one hundred and four. Triple digits, baby. That startling figure comes to us via MMAFighting.com researcher Steve Borchardt, who tallied up all the injury pullouts by UFC and Strikeforce fighters in 2012, and fed them all into this chronological spreadsheet. (Color key: Injuries to champions are in yellow, all other main event fighters are in red, and co-mainers are in teal. Also, “KO’d by sauna floor when cutting weight” really deserves its own color. An ugly brownish-orange, perhaps.)
We’re all reasonable men and women, right? We know that this explosion in high-profile injury withdrawals can’t really be explained by a “curse,” or bad luck, or terrible coincidence. Grueling training conditions — in which MMA fighters work all year round, scrapping against elite-level teammates rather than paid sparring dummies, executing body-motions that are specifically designed to blow out your knees — has to account for most of it.
But are there other explanations? When you look at all the injuries listed as “Undisclosed” on the chart, you can’t help but speculate…
Alternately, UFC fighters may have become more cautious about competing when their health is less than 100%. As lucrative opportunities outside of the UFC continue to shrink, it has become even more important for athletes to have a good showing every time they enter the Octagon. So perhaps a fighter who would have gritted his teeth in the past and fought through a minor injury would now decide to sit out until he recovers. It’s a business, after all.
Can the UFC brass can do anything to alleviate this problem in 2013? It’s hard to say. But considering that the loss of marquee fights can hurt their bottom line more than any other factor, you can bet that they’re racking their brains trying to figure it out.
