Tag: knee injuries

Georges St-Pierre Tears ACL While Training for Absolutely Nothing


(GSP gets some blood drained from his knee back in January 2012, the last time this happened to him. / Photo via St-Pierre’s Facebook page)

Just because Georges St-Pierre won’t return to the UFC until the promotion improves its drug-testing policies, doesn’t mean he can’t stay in shape. In fact, the former welterweight champion tore the ACL in his left knee this week in training, and he doesn’t even have a fight coming up. That’s commitment. St-Pierre is scheduled to undergo surgery in a few days.

It’ll be a familiar process for GSP, who blew out the ACL in his right knee in December 2011, and didn’t return until the following November, when he defeated interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154. In other words, he’s rebounded from this injury before, and he could certainly do it again. If he wanted to. Which he might not. When informed of the news, UFC president Dana White had some rather backhanded words of sympathy:

“I didn’t think his hiatus was going to be that long. That’s one of the risks you run when you get away from the sport like that. You have a small window as a professional athlete to make what you can. The guy gave up his belt, walked away from the sport, and now he’s out for who knows how long.”


(GSP gets some blood drained from his knee back in January 2012, the last time this happened to him. / Photo via St-Pierre’s Facebook page)

Just because Georges St-Pierre won’t return to the UFC until the promotion improves its drug-testing policies, doesn’t mean he can’t stay in shape. In fact, the former welterweight champion tore the ACL in his left knee this week in training, and he doesn’t even have a fight coming up. That’s commitment. St-Pierre is scheduled to undergo surgery in a few days.

It’ll be a familiar process for GSP, who blew out the ACL in his right knee in December 2011, and didn’t return until the following November, when he defeated interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154. In other words, he’s rebounded from this injury before, and he could certainly do it again. If he wanted to. Which he might not. When informed of the news, UFC president Dana White had some rather backhanded words of sympathy:

“I didn’t think his hiatus was going to be that long. That’s one of the risks you run when you get away from the sport like that. You have a small window as a professional athlete to make what you can. The guy gave up his belt, walked away from the sport, and now he’s out for who knows how long.”

Yep. Despite his emotional fatigue and anger at the UFC’s lax drug-testing, GSP should have just sucked it up and kept fighting like a good soldier because MONEY. (And I guess this injury wouldn’t have even happened if St-Pierre was training for a UFC fight? What?) Anyway, GSP’s return timetable has been updated from “when hell freezes over” to “when hell freezes over, plus 6-8 months.”

Related: On FightOpinion, Zach Arnold suggests that GSP’s hiatus was actually putting enough financial pressure on the UFC for them to make some changes to how they approach drug testing — but now that he’s out of action for an indefinite period of time, he’s lost that leverage and the UFC doesn’t have to do a damn thing.

Chris Weidman Suffers Knee Injury, Title Fight With Lyoto Machida Bumped to UFC 175 in July


(Welp…throw it into the trash-pile with the rest, I guess.)

According to UFC.com, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has “suffered a knee injury that will require minor surgery,” and has withdrawn from his scheduled title defense against Lyoto Machida at UFC 173 on May 24th. The fight has already been rescheduled to headline UFC 175 (July 5th, Las Vegas), and a new main event for the 5/24 card will be announced shortly.

No other details on Weidman’s knee are available at this time, though it should be noted that re-booking Weidman for an event six weeks later when he hasn’t even had his surgery yet is mighty optimistic. Wild Conspiracy Theory Time: The UFC invented this injury just to make sure they had a big main event for International Fight Week. Nah, not really. But maybe?

Stay tuned for more details…


(Welp…throw it into the trash-pile with the rest, I guess.)

According to UFC.com, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has “suffered a knee injury that will require minor surgery,” and has withdrawn from his scheduled title defense against Lyoto Machida at UFC 173 on May 24th. The fight has already been rescheduled to headline UFC 175 (July 5th, Las Vegas), and a new main event for the 5/24 card will be announced shortly.

No other details on Weidman’s knee are available at this time, though it should be noted that re-booking Weidman for an event six weeks later when he hasn’t even had his surgery yet is mighty optimistic. Wild Conspiracy Theory Time: The UFC invented this injury just to make sure they had a big main event for International Fight Week. Nah, not really. But maybe?

Stay tuned for more details…

Carlos Condit Suffered Meniscus Tear, Possible Torn ACL in UFC 171 Loss to Tyron Woodley


(I like the genuine look of concern on Woodley’s face. I mean, two seconds ago he was trying to tear Condit’s limbs off, but still. / Photo via Getty)

Carlos Condit‘s UFC 171 fight against Tyron Woodley started badly and got worse from there. After being out-slugged in round one, Condit suffered an injury to his right knee in round two after giving up a takedown. A follow-up leg kick from Woodley led to Condit’s knee buckling in weird, unexpected ways.

Though the exact condition of Condit’s knee won’t be known until he undergoes an MRI, MMAJunkie passes along word that the welterweight contender suffered a small meniscus tear and possibly a torn ACL, according to the initial diagnosis given to him at a local hospital following the fight. His recovery timetable is uncertain at this point; we’ll update you as soon as we know more.

After the jump: Highlights from the Condit vs. Woodley fight, and Woodley’s post-fight interview, in which he respectfully requests a title shot.


(I like the genuine look of concern on Woodley’s face. I mean, two seconds ago he was trying to tear Condit’s limbs off, but still. / Photo via Getty)

Carlos Condit‘s UFC 171 fight against Tyron Woodley started badly and got worse from there. After being out-slugged in round one, Condit suffered an injury to his right knee in round two after giving up a takedown. A follow-up leg kick from Woodley led to Condit’s knee buckling in weird, unexpected ways.

Though the exact condition of Condit’s knee won’t be known until he undergoes an MRI, MMAJunkie passes along word that the welterweight contender suffered a small meniscus tear and possibly a torn ACL, according to the initial diagnosis given to him at a local hospital following the fight. His recovery timetable is uncertain at this point; we’ll update you as soon as we know more.

After the jump: Highlights from the Condit vs. Woodley fight, and Woodley’s post-fight interview, in which he respectfully requests a title shot.

Rashad Evans Out of Action for Six Months Due to Knee Surgery


(“I’m just a simple cage-fighter. Your ball-and-racket sports frighten and confuse me…” Photo via SI/Getty)

The knee injury that bounced Rashad Evans out of UFC 170 last week will keep “Suga” sidelined for the majority of 2014. According to a statement posted on the Blackzilians website yesterday, the former UFC light-heavyweight champ will undergo knee surgery this week in Los Angeles with Dr. Ronald Kvitne (who you may remember from Cat Zingano’s video blogs). Evans is expected to be out of active training for six months.

“I am deeply disappointed to be missing the action at UFC 170, but I am, as always, incredibly grateful for the support of my family, friends, management, the UFC, and most of all my fans during this minor setback,” Evans stated. “Thank you for your continued messages of support. I’ll be back stronger than ever!”

“Minor setback”? Props to Rashad for keeping such a positive attitude, because we’d be punching a hole through every wall in the house if this happened to us. Evans has had a history of poorly-timed injuries, from the previous knee injury that robbed him of a title shot against Mauricio Rua in early 2011, to the thumb injury that postponed his title fight with Jon Jones later that year.

For a 34-year-old athlete with over a decade of professional competition under his belt, a six-month timeout seems like a major setback — especially with Evans on the verge of title contention once again. Damn. Get well soon, dude.


(“I’m just a simple cage-fighter. Your ball-and-racket sports frighten and confuse me…” Photo via SI/Getty)

The knee injury that bounced Rashad Evans out of UFC 170 last week will keep “Suga” sidelined for the majority of 2014. According to a statement posted on the Blackzilians website yesterday, the former UFC light-heavyweight champ will undergo knee surgery this week in Los Angeles with Dr. Ronald Kvitne (who you may remember from Cat Zingano’s video blogs). Evans is expected to be out of active training for six months.

“I am deeply disappointed to be missing the action at UFC 170, but I am, as always, incredibly grateful for the support of my family, friends, management, the UFC, and most of all my fans during this minor setback,” Evans stated. “Thank you for your continued messages of support. I’ll be back stronger than ever!”

“Minor setback”? Props to Rashad for keeping such a positive attitude, because we’d be punching a hole through every wall in the house if this happened to us. Evans has had a history of poorly-timed injuries, from the previous knee injury that robbed him of a title shot against Mauricio Rua in early 2011, to the thumb injury that postponed his title fight with Jon Jones later that year.

For a 34-year-old athlete with over a decade of professional competition under his belt, a six-month timeout seems like a major setback — especially with Evans on the verge of title contention once again. Damn. Get well soon, dude.

Julianna Pena Out of UFC 171 After Suffering ‘Gruesome’ Knee Injury


(The knee can be a cruel mistress. One day you’re provocatively bending it against a pole, without a care in the world. And the next day…betrayal. / Photo via Julianna’s Facebook page)

TUF 18 winner Julianna Pena was scheduled to fight Jessica Andrade at UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler in March — but it looks like the Venezuelan Vixen won’t be fighting anyone for a long, long time. According to a report yesterday evening from MMAFighting.com, Pena suffered a “gruesome injury to her right knee” during a grappling session on Monday, “damaging her ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus.” Yep, I think that covers everything.

Pena is scheduled to undergo surgery next week, and doctors have already assured her that her knee will return to full strength following surgery and rehab. Not that it’s any consolation to UFC president Dana White, who was pissed last night:


(The knee can be a cruel mistress. One day you’re provocatively bending it against a pole, without a care in the world. And the next day…betrayal. / Photo via Julianna’s Facebook page)

TUF 18 winner Julianna Pena was scheduled to fight Jessica Andrade at UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler in March — but it looks like the Venezuelan Vixen won’t be fighting anyone for a long, long time. According to a report yesterday evening from MMAFighting.com, Pena suffered a “gruesome injury to her right knee” during a grappling session on Monday, “damaging her ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus.” Yep, I think that covers everything.

Pena is scheduled to undergo surgery next week, and doctors have already assured her that her knee will return to full strength following surgery and rehab. Not that it’s any consolation to UFC president Dana White, who was pissed last night:

For the record, Pena trains at Sik-Jitsu in Spokane, and her actual recovery timetable is unknown. And unless Pena’s team rented her out as a training partner for Rousimar Palhares, we’ll hold off on burying them for now.

Jessica Andrade will remain on the UFC 171 card against TUF 18 semi-finalist Raquel Pennington, who most recently dominated Roxanne Modafferi at the TUF 18 Finale.

Michael Johnson vs. Melvin Guillard Booked as New UFC Fight Night 37 Co-Main Event, With Ross Pearson Out Due to Knee Injury


(“Wait, so Ross Pearson’s not on this card anymore? F*ck it, I’m not going.” — Nobody. / Photo via Getty)

UFC officials confirmed this morning that Ross Pearson has pulled out of his lightweight do-over fight against Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa (March 8th, London) due to a knee injury suffered in training. Details about the exact nature and recovery time of Pearson’s injury are scarce, though Pearson claims that he’ll require surgery.

I know what you’re thinking: Does this mean that Ilir Latifi vs. Cyrille Diabate gets bumped up to the UFC Fight Night 37 co-main event? LOL, of course not. Luckily, the UFC has already found a replacement for Pearson — Michael Johnson, who’s coming off an impressive knockout of Gleison Tibau at UFC 168, and has been calling out Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov since then in an attempt to land a big fight. And while those call-outs may have been slightly premature, a decisive win against Guillard could go a long way in making Johnson’s case as a contender worthy of top competition.

Johnson vs. Guillard has a personal hook to it as well. The two hard-hitting 155’ers were Blackzilian training partners for a while, until Guillard left the crew. A few months later, Guillard took some shots at Johnson on Twitter for no apparent reason. Your predictions for this one, please.

“Gustafsson vs. Manuwa” will air on UFC Fight Pass (unfortunately), and will also feature Brad Pickett vs. Ian McCall and the return of Gunnar Nelson.


(“Wait, so Ross Pearson’s not on this card anymore? F*ck it, I’m not going.” — Nobody. / Photo via Getty)

UFC officials confirmed this morning that Ross Pearson has pulled out of his lightweight do-over fight against Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa (March 8th, London) due to a knee injury suffered in training. Details about the exact nature and recovery time of Pearson’s injury are scarce, though Pearson claims that he’ll require surgery.

I know what you’re thinking: Does this mean that Ilir Latifi vs. Cyrille Diabate gets bumped up to the UFC Fight Night 37 co-main event? LOL, of course not. Luckily, the UFC has already found a replacement for Pearson — Michael Johnson, who’s coming off an impressive knockout of Gleison Tibau at UFC 168, and has been calling out Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov since then in an attempt to land a big fight. And while those call-outs may have been slightly premature, a decisive win against Guillard could go a long way in making Johnson’s case as a contender worthy of top competition.

Johnson vs. Guillard has a personal hook to it as well. The two hard-hitting 155′ers were Blackzilian training partners for a while, until Guillard left the crew. A few months later, Guillard took some shots at Johnson on Twitter for no apparent reason. Your predictions for this one, please.

“Gustafsson vs. Manuwa” will air on UFC Fight Pass (unfortunately), and will also feature Brad Pickett vs. Ian McCall and the return of Gunnar Nelson.