Tag: Injury

And So It Begins: The #PotatoCurse Claims Its Second Victim, Tony Ferguson


(Wait, it was the *other* guy who got injured for once? You’re kidding…)

For close to a week now, we’ve been hinting that a great rash of injuries was set to befall the UFC. Chalk it up to our well-documented knack for predicting the future, chalk it up to the series of Rube Goldbergian traps we placed in the homes of several prominent MMA fighters, but we haven’t help but shake the feeling that 2016 will bring with it an injury curse that makes the injury curse of 2012 look like a series of bumps and bruises.

The Great Injury Curse of 2016 — henceforth to be known and referred to as the #PotatoCurse by *all* MMA media entities — got off to a promising start last week, claiming Daniel Cormier just weeks out from his highly-anticipated title fight rematch with uber rival Jon Jones. Last night, the #PotatoCurse claimed its second victim in the form of lightweight Tony Ferguson, forcing him out of his #1 contender bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov and destroying the second straight UFC main event in as many weeks.

Details after the jump.

The post And So It Begins: The #PotatoCurse Claims Its Second Victim, Tony Ferguson appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Wait, it was the *other* guy who got injured for once? You’re kidding…)

For close to a week now, we’ve been hinting that a great rash of injuries was set to befall the UFC. Chalk it up to our well-documented knack for predicting the future, chalk it up to the series of Rube Goldbergian traps we placed in the homes of several prominent MMA fighters, but we haven’t help but shake the feeling that 2016 will bring with it an injury curse that makes the injury curse of 2012 look like a series of bumps and bruises.

The Great Injury Curse of 2016 — henceforth to be known and referred to as the #PotatoCurse by *all* MMA media entities — got off to a promising start last week, claiming Daniel Cormier just weeks out from his highly-anticipated title fight rematch with uber rival Jon Jones. Last night, the #PotatoCurse claimed its second victim in the form of lightweight Tony Ferguson, forcing him out of his #1 contender bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov and destroying the second straight UFC main event in as many weeks.

Details after the jump.

Yes, just two weeks out from his UFC on FOX 19 main event, “El Cucuy” took to Instagram to relay the news of an injury that you don’t hear a lot of in *any* professional sport.

“I am out of my Fight Due to Blood/Fluid in my Lung,” wrote Ferguson. “Usually I can Power Through These things. Doc said it wasn’t wise to Fight due to any more trauma could be terminal.”

Ferguson later wrote that he should be cleared to fight again in a few weeks, but in his absence, the UFC went ahead and bumped the evening’s scheduled co-main event between Rashad Evans and Glover Teixeira into the main event slot. This now makes for the second time in a row that this Nurmy vs. Cucuy has been cancelled due to injury.

But there may be hope, in that no less than 5 fighters from two different weight classes have offered to step in against Nurmagomedov on extremely short notice. As you might expect, one of these people is Donald Cerrone, but perhaps the most intriguing name in the mix is current lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. In a message posted to his Twitter, Dos Anjos called out the Dagestani grappler (and the last man to beat him) for a fight this summer.

“Sorry to hear Ferguson is out. @TeamKhabib We have some unfinished business, I’ll be ready in July.”

Ferguson’s response was nothing short of nuclear.

BJ Penn also threw his name in the mix, but with the UFC not wanting to witness its first in-ring murder anytime soon, his name was quickly thrown out. As of this write-up, it looks like Cerrone is being given top bill to face Nurmagomedov in a welterweight contest, but only if he can still fight Patrick Cote in June as well.

Honestly, we’re still trying to wrap our heads around the idea that Khabib Nurmagomedov has made it through an entire training camp intact. We’ll let you know who the UFC decides on as an opponent for him when/if it happens.

The post And So It Begins: The #PotatoCurse Claims Its Second Victim, Tony Ferguson appeared first on Cagepotato.

Rafael Dos Anjos Pulls Out of UFC 196, UFC Now Seeking Replacement Opponent for McGregor


(The curse of El Chapo continues…)

For the second time in as many contests, Conor McGregor has been scheduled to face a Brazilian champion, only to have said champion go down with an injury just weeks before the fight. If that sounds like we’re dick-riding the featherweight champion, we’re not. Just stating the facts, people.

In either case, Rafael Dos Anjos has in fact pulled out of his UFC 196 main event due to a broken foot suffered during training, leaving the Notorious one in need of yet another last-minute replacement. And here’s where things are getting interesting…

The post Rafael Dos Anjos Pulls Out of UFC 196, UFC Now Seeking Replacement Opponent for McGregor appeared first on Cagepotato.


(The curse of El Chapo continues…)

For the second time in as many contests, Conor McGregor has been scheduled to face a Brazilian champion, only to have said champion go down with an injury just weeks before the fight. If that sounds like we’re dick-riding the featherweight champion, we’re not. Just stating the facts, people.

In either case, Rafael Dos Anjos has in fact pulled out of his UFC 196 main event due to a broken foot suffered during training, leaving the Notorious one in need of yet another last-minute replacement. And here’s where things are getting interesting…

As you might expect, the first name to come up as a potential replacement for Dos Anjos was Frankie Edgar, who was unsuccessfully rallying for a fight against McGregor right up to the point that he was booked against the lightweight champion. Unfortunately, Ariel Helwani was the first to break the news that Edgar would be unavailable to fight due to a lingering injury, via Twitter.

Next in line was perennial lightweight contender Nate Diaz, who is fresh off an impressive win over Michael Johnson, wherein he called out McGregor in a profanity-laced post-fight interview. And for what it’s worth, it looks like Diaz is at least willing to face McGregor on short notice, but only under one condition…

We’ll give Diaz props for turning Conor’s words against him, but yeah, next option…

Given the insanely long build-up and insanely short actual length of their last fight, booking Jose Aldo in a (non-title fight) rematch also seemed to make sense. When asked point blank if he would take the fight, however, Aldo revealed some interesting news via his manager and coach, Andre Pederneiras.

“Dana [White] called me, telling what happened and asking if Aldo was in shape to fight. I said he wasn’t and that there wasn’t enough time, and unfortunately he wouldn’t be able to fight next week,” said Pederneiras via MMAFighting.

While this notion seems to be in direct contradiction to a statement made by Aldo on Instagram a few weeks ago, it’s perhaps best that we just move on. The man is only two months out from a vicious KO loss, after all.

Of course, when all else fails, you’re left with Donald Cerrone. As we know, “Cowboy” happens to be one of the few fighters that is both perpetually ready to fight and has happened to mince words with McGregor in the past. While he may be coming off a win over Alex Oliveira that took place just two days ago, Cerrone has already verbally agreed to face McGregor. In fact, Cerrone has already begun to make the cut down from 170 pounds, posting an auspicious video on Instagram and writing on Twitter that “Anyone, anywhere. I’ll be ready. Just waiting on this call.”

So there are a couple sensible options out there to save UFC 196 — mainly Diaz or Cerrone — but the fate of the card now lies in the UFC’s hands. Let’s hope they don’t botch it.

We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.

The post Rafael Dos Anjos Pulls Out of UFC 196, UFC Now Seeking Replacement Opponent for McGregor appeared first on Cagepotato.

Cain Velasquez Injured Yet Again, Fabricio Werdum Now Faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 196


(Hello ER my old friend, I’ve come to lie with you again…)

You might not know this about Cain Velasquez, but the former heavyweight champion is what some would call “prone to injury.” In fact, Velasquez has spent far more time on the shelf during his tenure with the UFC than he has been fighting, competing just 6 times (and against a grand total of 3 different opponents) dating back to the night he first lost his belt to Junior Dos Santos in 2010.

So when it was first announced that Velasquez would inexplicably be receiving an immediate rematch against Fabricio Werdum following his one-sided defeat at UFC 188, the booking was met with a certain amount of trepidation. Rightfully so, it would seem, as today brings the news that Velasquez has has been forced to withdraw from UFC 196 just two weeks out with a back injury.

Details after the jump. 

The post Cain Velasquez Injured Yet Again, Fabricio Werdum Now Faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 196 appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Hello ER my old friend, I’ve come to lie with you again…)

You might not know this about Cain Velasquez, but the former heavyweight champion is what some would call “prone to injury.” In fact, Velasquez has spent far more time on the shelf during his tenure with the UFC than he has been fighting, competing just 6 times (and against a grand total of 3 different opponents) dating back to the night he first lost his belt to Junior Dos Santos in 2010.

So when it was first announced that Velasquez would inexplicably be receiving an immediate rematch against Fabricio Werdum following his one-sided defeat at UFC 188, the booking was met with a certain amount of trepidation. Rightfully so, it would seem, as today brings the news that Velasquez has has been forced to withdraw from UFC 196 just two weeks out with a back injury.

Details after the jump. 

The saddening but all too familiar news was broke on Sunday evening via Dana White’s Instagram. Stepping in as a short notice replacement against Werdum will be Stipe Miocic, who is currently riding back-to-back wins over Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski and has been angling for a title fight for some time now, only to be consistently rebuked by the UFC for lacking the “popularity” necessary for a title contender. Of course, name value doesn’t mean sh*t when you can’t actually make it to fight night, so let’s hope that Stipe can make his name off of this fight whether in victory or defeat.

Velasquez, who has already undergone surgeries for torn meniscus in his knee and a torn rotator cuff (twice), took to Facebook to apologize to Werdum, writing:

I’m sure you’ve heard the news that I won’t be able to fight at UFC 196. I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am and how I feel I’m letting you all down. I’ve heard and read all of your messages of support since my last fight and during this camp and for that I thank you.

Training camp has been difficult for the last few weeks, but sometimes no matter how much the heart and mind want to fight through an injury, healing has its own timeline. We thought we’d get through it, but we had to face the truth that it wasn’t going to be OK in time to fight. All of us fighters have all fought injured at one time or another, but I can’t ignore this injury, as my doctor has indicated that not addressing the problems with my sciatic nerve could have longer-term consequences.

My fans deserve to see me compete as close to 100% as possible. I’m committed to giving them that. I’m not going to let my fans down, and I want to make sure I do the right things to ensure a long career.

Fabricio, I hope that you accept my sincere apology. I understand how you may think this is an excuse. From one professional to another, I can tell you I was committed and looking forward to competing with you again. I greatly respect you as a fighter and man, and we will meet soon.

I will get this taken care of as soon as possible. I will heal and will come back and show you the Cain Velasquez you all deserve to see.

Sincerely,
Cain

It’s a real shame that the majority of Cain’s athletic prime has been spent healing on the sidelines, but maybe this latest injury might be his body’s way of telling him when enough is enough. He hasn’t seemed to heed the message yet, but then again, when looking at the litany of setbacks that Dominick Cruz suffered on his way to reclaiming the bantamweight title, it’s hard to fault him for being stubborn.

There has been no timetable set for Velasquez’s return.

The post Cain Velasquez Injured Yet Again, Fabricio Werdum Now Faces Stipe Miocic at UFC 196 appeared first on Cagepotato.

Dear MMA Fighters: Never, *Ever* Attempt to Stop a Takedown Like This

As painful as it is to be knocked out via a Rock Bottom-style slam (or must be, I have no idea), at least you can take solace in the fact that, should that scenario befall you, you’d still more than likely get to walk away from the fight in one piece.

Thus, we come to option B for how to deal with a takedown/slam: The “Arm Resist Motion.” It’s an objectively terrible decision no matter how you look at it, yet also understandable given how we instinctively react to falling as a species. Unfortunately in MMA, it’s an instinct that usually results in a horrific injury like the one about to take place above, which happened during a middleweight contest between Pat McCrohan and Buck “Knuckles” Pineau at CES 31 over the weekend.

The post Dear MMA Fighters: Never, *Ever* Attempt to Stop a Takedown Like This appeared first on Cagepotato.

As painful as it is to be knocked out via a Rock Bottom-style slam (or must be, I have no idea), at least you can take solace in the fact that, should that scenario befall you, you’d still more than likely get to walk away from the fight in one piece.

Thus, we come to option B for how to deal with a takedown/slam: The “Arm Resist Motion.” It’s an objectively terrible decision no matter how you look at it, yet also understandable given how we instinctively react to falling as a species. Unfortunately in MMA, it’s an instinct that usually results in a horrific injury like the one about to take place above, which happened during a middleweight contest between Pat McCrohan and Buck “Knuckles” Pineau at CES 31 over the weekend.

Less than a minute into the fight, McCrohan snatched up his opponent for a big slam, leading Pineau to reach out and brace for impact. Rather than soften his landing, however, Pineau’s arm shattered like it was being used as a kickstand for a whale carcass, forcing him to instantaneously tap out in agony.

Tough luck, Knuckles (or as you’ll soon be known, “Stumpy”), but this is how we learn.

(Props: ZombieProphet)

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Continues to Be the Russian Dominick Cruz, Pulls Out of Tony Ferguson Fight


(No, Khabib, they’re starting to *forget* you. via Instagram)

You know, for a guy who transitioned into MMA from the much heralded bear wrestling circuit, Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t seem to hold up so well against members of his own species.

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Continues to Be the Russian Dominick Cruz, Pulls Out of Tony Ferguson Fight appeared first on Cagepotato.


(No, Khabib, they’re starting to *forget* you. via Instagram)

You know, for a guy who transitioned into MMA from the much heralded bear wrestling circuit, Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t seem to hold up so well against members of his own species.

He may be undefeated in the octagon, but Nurmagomedov has spent the better part of the past year and a half injuring, then nursing, then re-injuring, then re-re-injuring himself and subsequently pulling out of every damn fight he’s been offered as a result. He’s the Russian, lightweight Dominick Cruz, if you will.

In fact, the closest thing Khabib’s even had to a legitimate fight since April of 2014 was that bench-clearing brawl he had with the Diaz brothers at WSOF 22. So it might not shock you to learn that, some six weeks out from his hotly-anticipated return bout against fellow top contender Tony Ferguson scheduled for the TUF 22 Finale, Nurmagomedov has gone down with a rib injury suffered in training. (via MMAFighting):

An injured rib has forced Nurmagomedov out of his highly-anticipated Dec. 11 fight against Tony Ferguson, sources confirmed with MMAFighting.com Thursday night.

This latest injury is particularly disheartening for the undefeated Russian because two serious knee injuries have sidelined him since his win over Rafael dos Anjos in April 2014. Despite his long layoff, the 22-0 lightweight, who by all accounts tried his best to fight through the injury but could not get cleared, is still considered one of the very best 155-pound fighters in the world.

With Nurmy now out, rumor has it the UFC is quickly rescheduling Ferguson against Edson Barboza, who has won three out of his past four fights. My guess is that Joe Silva had him on standby.

And now, there’s only one thing left for us to do: Wait and see what Showtime Pettis will have to say about this on Twitter. (#MMAJournalism)

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Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson Delayed Due to Injury Because Of Course It Is

Not too long ago, Dana White took American Top Team to task for their “stone age” ways of doing things, which he blamed for then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez‘s series of ongoing injuries suffered during training. And despite the fact that AKA actually ranked rather low on the list of injury rates among major fight camps, there was no denying that their historically brutal sparring sessions were playing a major role in their fighters frequent injuries.

Enter newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, or should I say, exit Daniel Cormier. From his title fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 191. Because he’s injured. Daniel Cormier trains at AKA.

That was a long walk, but I regret nothing.

Details after the jump

The post Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson Delayed Due to Injury Because Of Course It Is appeared first on Cagepotato.

Not too long ago, Dana White took American Top Team to task for their “stone age” ways of doing things, which he blamed for then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez‘s series of ongoing injuries suffered during training. And despite the fact that AKA actually ranked rather low on the list of injury rates among major fight camps, there was no denying that their historically brutal sparring sessions were playing a major role in their fighters frequent injuries.

Enter newly-crowned light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, or should I say, exit Daniel Cormier. From his title fight against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 191. Because he’s injured. Daniel Cormier trains at AKA.

That was a long walk, but I regret nothing.

Details after the jump

Yes, according to MMAJunkie, Cormier will not face against Lusty Gusty in September as originally planned due to an apparent knee injury suffered in training. As a result of this “slight delay,” Cormier is being tentatively-scheduled to return in October, although UFC officials have yet to confirm or even speculate as to where or when exactly the fight will transpire.

Injured before he can even make his first title defense. Daniel, you’ll fit in just fine around here. Juuuuuust fine.

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