Tag: knee injury

Knee Injury Forces Luke Rockhold Out, Launchpad McQuack in Against Tim Boetsch at UFC 166


(Started from the bottom, now he’s here. Photo via Wrestlezone.)

Some of you might have forgotten about this by now, but TUF 7 finalist CB Dolloway was basically the catalyst that sparked Mayhem Miller‘s downward spiral into insanity. In the lead up to their battle at UFC 146, Miller vowed to retire from the sport if a certain “fart-face” was able to defeat him in their undercard battle. Dollaway did just that, Mayhem was fired thereafter, and less than a month later, Miller was arrested for disrobing and vandalizing a church.

My point? That a loss to Dollaway can do shameful, harmful things to a person. And we’d hate to see Tim Boetsch reduced to such madness should he lose to Dollaway, who will be stepping in against Boetsch on a month’s notice to replace an injured (go figure) Luke Rockhold at UFC 166: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez III.


(Started from the bottom, now he’s here. Photo via Wrestlezone.)

Some of you might have forgotten about this by now, but TUF 7 finalist CB Dolloway was basically the catalyst that sparked Mayhem Miller‘s downward spiral into insanity. In the lead up to their battle at UFC 146, Miller vowed to retire from the sport if a certain “fart-face” was able to defeat him in their undercard battle. Dollaway did just that, Mayhem was fired thereafter, and less than a month later, Miller was arrested for disrobing and vandalizing a church.

My point? That a loss to Dollaway can do shameful, harmful things to a person. And we’d hate to see Tim Boetsch reduced to such madness should he lose to Dollaway, who will be stepping in against Boetsch on a month’s notice to replace an injured (go figure) Luke Rockhold at UFC 166: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez III.

Honestly, it’s probably the best scenario that Boetsch could ask for. Despite Rockhold’s current UFC record and Dollaway’s current two-fight win streak, it would be hard to argue that Boetsch isn’t receiving a significant step down in competition here.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Dolloway is one of the more highly-decorated wrestlers in the middleweight division (see above), whom Boetsch has struggled against in the past (see his losses to Phil Davis and Mark Munoz). With two losses in his past three contests, a loss to Launchpad McQuack up there could easily see Boetsch’s second UFC tour of duty come to an end.

The two share a common opponent in Munoz, who defeated Dollaway by first round (first minute) KO back at UFC Live 3 and Boetsch by Unanimous decision at UFC 162. So using my advanced powers of MMAth, “The Barbarian” should defeat “The Doberman” by split decision. Any takers?

–J. Jones

Injury of the Day: Paulo Thiago Takes an Arrow to the Knee, Out of Gastelum Fight in August


(And they *still* couldn’t find Nick Diaz. Photo via Esporte.)

The hits just keep a’ comin, Potato Nation.

Just days after we informed you that two fighters were forced to withdraw from UFC 163 due to a crippling fear of Brazilians injury, word has been passed along that Brazilian action movie character Paulo Thiago has been forced to withdraw from his fight with TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum, scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Kampmann vs. Condit II, due to a knee injury. While Gastelum is currently without a replacement opponent for his welterweight debut, the one good thing we can take away from all this is that the UFC has already decided to abandon the “UFC on FOX Sports 1:2/XVII — 01101001” formula in favor of the much simpler “Fight Night.” Yay….

As is usually the case when dealing with these injury reports, it’s time to start speculating. Was it a simple training injury that led to Thiago’s withdrawal? Please. PTSD related to that INSANE apartment complex raid he was involved in? Perhaps. Was Whitey Bulger involved somehow? Oh, you can bet your bottom dollar he was.

The current lineup for “UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann II” is after the jump.


(And they *still* couldn’t find Nick Diaz. Photo via Esporte.)

The hits just keep a’ comin, Potato Nation.

Just days after we informed you that two fighters were forced to withdraw from UFC 163 due to a crippling fear of Brazilians injury, word has been passed along that Brazilian action movie character Paulo Thiago has been forced to withdraw from his fight with TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum, scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Kampmann vs. Condit II, due to a knee injury. While Gastelum is currently without a replacement opponent for his welterweight debut, the one good thing we can take away from all this is that the UFC has already decided to abandon the “UFC on FOX Sports 1:2/XVII — 01101001″ formula in favor of the much simpler “Fight Night.” Yay….

As is usually the case when dealing with these injury reports, it’s time to start speculating. Was it a simple training injury that led to Thiago’s withdrawal? Please. PTSD related to that INSANE apartment complex raid he was involved in? Perhaps. Was Whitey Bulger involved somehow? Oh, you can bet your bottom dollar he was.

The current lineup for “UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann II” is after the jump.

MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
-Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
-Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos
-Kelvin Gastelum vs. TBA
-Sarah Kaufman vs. Sara McMann
-Court McGee vs. Robert Whittaker
-Robert McDaniel vs. Brad Tavares

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 2, 6 p.m. ET)
-Takeya Mizugaki vs. Erik Perez
-Papy Abedi vs. Dylan Andrews
-Justin Edwards vs. Brandon Thatch
-Darren Elkins vs. Hatsu Hioki

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 4:30 p.m. ET)
-James Head vs. Jason High
-Ben Alloway vs. Zak Cummings
-Roger Bowling vs. Abel Trujillo

–J. Jones

Dominick Cruz Now the Only Person No Longer Concerned About Defending His Bantamweight Belt


(Cruz, seen here showing off the results of his latest trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Those ball pits can be VICIOUS.) 

For the past two years, the UFC’s bantamweight division has been an absolute ghost town, plagued by injury to the point that even its replacement champion hasn’t been able to come out unscathed. I can’t remember the last time I typed Dominick Cruz’s name into the CagePotato CMS, to be honest — as I do it now, a message asks me if I meant “Domino’s Crust” and that doesn’t even make any goddamn sense.

While there’s not much than anyone can do to speed up Cruz’s recovery time — the man is coming off double knee surgery (including a botched cadaver-ACL transplant), for Christ’s sake — there comes a time when a champion’s inability to defend his own belt should come at a cost. Paul Taylor was recently released by the UFC simply because he has been plagued by injury and incredibly bad luck since 2011. Not that he and Cruz are exactly comparable in terms of their standings in the promotion, but at what point should the UFC step in and force Cruz to hand over his baseball to the kids who can actually play with it? It’s a question that the champ himself cannot answer, but if you think he is even worried about it, think again:

I can’t worry about the belt. It’s really not my position to decide whether I keep it because I’ve been injured or whether Dana takes it or whether Barao has it. The belt is there. The bottom line is me getting healthy so I can go out there and do what I do best which is prove why I am where I am today.


(Cruz, seen here showing off the results of his latest trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Those ball pits can be VICIOUS.) 

For the past two years, the UFC’s bantamweight division has been an absolute ghost town, plagued by injury to the point that even its replacement champion hasn’t been able to come out unscathed. I can’t remember the last time I typed Dominick Cruz’s name into the CagePotato CMS, to be honest — as I do it now, a message asks me if I meant “Domino’s Crust” and that doesn’t even make any goddamn sense.

While there’s not much than anyone can do to speed up Cruz’s recovery time — the man is coming off double knee surgery (including a botched cadaver-ACL transplant), for Christ’s sake — there comes a time when a champion’s inability to defend his own belt should come at a cost. Paul Taylor was recently released by the UFC simply because he has been plagued by injury and incredibly bad luck since 2011. Not that he and Cruz are exactly comparable in terms of their standings in the promotion, but at what point should the UFC step in and force Cruz to hand over his baseball to the kids who can actually play with it? It’s a question that the champ himself cannot answer, but if you think he is even worried about it, think again:

I can’t worry about the belt. It’s really not my position to decide whether I keep it because I’ve been injured or whether Dana takes it or whether Barao has it. The belt is there. The bottom line is me getting healthy so I can go out there and do what I do best which is prove why I am where I am today. I’m not here by accident. I work hard to be there I’m at and I’m working hard in therapy to make sure I return to form as soon as possible. That’s the goal. It’s been a very tedious, tough process…. Nobody wants to wait including me. I don’t want to have to wait but I don’t really have a choice at this point other than to take my time and come back strong. 

We’d never want a fighter put the needs of his job over those of his own personal health, but at the same time, if Cruz isn’t going to be back in fighting form for the rest of the year (his last surgery was in December 2012, with a 6-to-9 month recovery time), shouldn’t the UFC feel obligated to some degree to strip his title? The bantamweight division might not be the most stacked one in the world right now, but there are still a few matchups to be had that could make for excellent title fights. To essentially deny that opportunity to the rest of the division (and the payday that comes with it) for a champion who has been M.I.A. since 2011 seems a little absurd, does it not?

–J. Jones

Anthony Pettis Out Six Weeks With Torn Meniscus, Ben Henderson Conspiracy Theory Officially Debunked


(A visibly ecstatic Grant reacts to the news.) 

Good news, Potato Nation, we can all officially put to rest the theory that Anthony Pettis was faking an injury to steal T.J. Grant’s title shot against Ben Henderson. After news detailing the extent of Pettis’ injury was first passed along by ESPN.com, Dana White recently confirmed with MMAFighting that “Showtime” will be looking at a six week layoff as a result of the knee injury that forced him out of his UFC 163 title fight with Jose Aldo. Unfortunately for us fans, our insatiable need to watch bubble-wrapped Brazilians get the living shit kicked out of them will have to be put on hold for the time being. *pushes school books off desk*

Pettis met with a UFC-approved doctor in Las Vegas who informed him that his torn meniscus injury will require him to sit out for six weeks, UFC president Dana White confirmed the news to MMAFighting.com after ESPN.com first reported it. Pettis originally believed he would return to full-strength in half that time.

The good news for Pettis is that he does not require surgery to fix his injured knee.

So there you have it. Pettis is out, Zombie and Grant are still in, and poor Ricardo Lamas continues to regret denying that Gypsy an extension on her mortgage payment.

–J. Jones


(A visibly ecstatic Grant reacts to the news.) 

Good news, Potato Nation, we can all officially put to rest the theory that Anthony Pettis was faking an injury to steal T.J. Grant’s title shot against Ben Henderson. After news detailing the extent of Pettis’ injury was first passed along by ESPN.com, Dana White recently confirmed with MMAFighting that “Showtime” will be looking at a six week layoff as a result of the knee injury that forced him out of his UFC 163 title fight with Jose Aldo. Unfortunately for us fans, our insatiable need to watch bubble-wrapped Brazilians get the living shit kicked out of them will have to be put on hold for the time being. *pushes school books off desk*

Pettis met with a UFC-approved doctor in Las Vegas who informed him that his torn meniscus injury will require him to sit out for six weeks, UFC president Dana White confirmed the news to MMAFighting.com after ESPN.com first reported it. Pettis originally believed he would return to full-strength in half that time.

The good news for Pettis is that he does not require surgery to fix his injured knee.

So there you have it. Pettis is out, Zombie and Grant are still in, and poor Ricardo Lamas continues to regret denying that Gypsy an extension on her mortgage payment.

–J. Jones

Gross Video of the Day: Cat Zingano Gets Her Melon-Knee Drained, Can’t Bear to Watch the Horror

Grizzly injury videos are quickly becoming this month’s Harlem Shake videos amongst the MMA community. Just last week, Mark Hunt videotaped the aftermath of what we can only assume was a horrific Blunderbuss accident, and today, Cat Zingano (or rather, her husband, Mauricio Zingano) has made us privy to the aftermath of the ACL injury that derailed her plans to coach opposite Ronda Rousey on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. And just like that, another War Machine conspiracy has been debunked. I guess we can put the Evan Tanner sponsorship-related suicide theory to bed as well. *Sigh*

As Karmaatemycat will surely tell you, the fluid-draining process is one of the more disgusting aspects of being a mixed martial artist — right up there with fighting Dan Severn in the late aughts. It appears that Cat was similarly horrified when forced to watch the equivalent of a dozen Five Hour Energy drinks being drained from her knee first hand. Honestly, I just hope this gross MMA video trend doesn’t take an even grosser turn into the world of anal colonic interview videos a la Tom Lawlor, or I am out this bitch.

To cleanse your palate of all this surgery-related grossness, we’ve thrown the now-classic video of Zingano during sexier, stretchier times after the jump.

Grizzly injury videos are quickly becoming this month’s Harlem Shake videos amongst the MMA community. Just last week, Mark Hunt videotaped the aftermath of what we can only assume was a horrific Blunderbuss accident, and today, Cat Zingano (or rather, her husband, Mauricio Zingano) has made us privy to the aftermath of the ACL injury that derailed her plans to coach opposite Ronda Rousey on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. And just like that, another War Machine conspiracy has been debunked. I guess we can put the Evan Tanner sponsorship-related suicide theory to bed as well. *Sigh*

As Karmaatemycat will surely tell you, the fluid-draining process is one of the more disgusting aspects of being a mixed martial artist — right up there with fighting Dan Severn in the late aughts. It appears that Cat was similarly horrified when forced to watch the equivalent of a dozen Five Hour Energy drinks being drained from her knee first hand. Honestly, I just hope this gross MMA video trend doesn’t take an even grosser turn into the world of anal colonic interview videos a la Tom Lawlor, or I am out this bitch.

To cleanse your palate of all this surgery-related grossness, we’ve thrown the now-classic video of Zingano during sexier, stretchier times after the jump.

–J. Jones

Gross Photo of the Day: Forrest Griffin’s Mutilated Knee

If you were to ask someone like Tim Kennedy why so many fighters have been pulling out of their scheduled fights due to injury this year, he would likely tell you that more often than not, they were faking it. And while he would have at least one case to cite as an example, we’d still like to believe that 90% of the fighters who have gone down with injuries recently were being honest with us. Still, even BG was suspicious when Forrest Griffin withdrew from his UFC 155 contest with Phil Davis, because let’s be honest, it was a terrible matchup for him to begin with. FoGriff has repeatedly stated over the past year or so that his retirement from the sport was looming on the horizon, so one would imagine that he’d like to go out on a win, or at least a fight he saw as winnable heading into it.

Well, you’ll be happy (and disgusted) to know that Griffin wasn’t faking anything, unless by faking, you mean “intentionally taking a sledgehammer to his knee until he passed out from the pain.” Because if the above photo that Forrest tweeted on Christmas is indeed legitimate (and we’re not sure how it couldn’t be), then there is no way in hell he could have possibly faked the gruesome MCL and ACL injury he suffered in training.

If you were to ask someone like Tim Kennedy why so many fighters have been pulling out of their scheduled fights due to injury this year, he would likely tell you that more often than not, they were faking it. And while he would have at least one case to cite as an example, we’d still like to believe that 90% of the fighters who have gone down with injuries recently were being honest with us. Still, even BG was suspicious when Forrest Griffin withdrew from his UFC 155 contest with Phil Davis, because let’s be honest, it was a terrible matchup for him to begin with. FoGriff has repeatedly stated over the past year or so that his retirement from the sport was looming on the horizon, so one would imagine that he’d like to go out on a win, or at least a fight he saw as winnable heading into it.

Well, you’ll be happy (and disgusted) to know that Griffin wasn’t faking anything, unless by faking, you mean “intentionally taking a sledgehammer to his knee until he passed out from the pain.” Because if the above photo that Forrest tweeted on Christmas is indeed legitimate (and we’re not sure how it couldn’t be), then there is no way in hell he could have possibly faked the gruesome MCL and ACL injury he suffered in training.

I mean, just look at that thing. It looks like one of the way-past-expired melons you find at a Korean market. It looks like someone hollowed out a bowling pin and stuffed it with rancid cottage cheese. It looks like Griffin’s soul after the Anderson Silva fight. It looks like…well, you get the point. No word yet on how long Griffin will be out of action, but if Dominick Cruz is any indication, expect to see Griffin back in the octagon in mid 2026.

–J. Jones