That turned out to be a wise move, because at least the UFC doesn’t have to scramble to replace yet another main card bout for Saturday’s event. On the other hand, UFC 177 now features just nine fights, and is made up of 38.9% non-wiki fighters, which is friggin’ awful. (UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le still holds the modern non-wiki record, at 65%, but at least that card didn’t come with a $55 price tag.)
We can’t tell whether Cejudo’s struggles are purely physical — as in, he should really be competing at bantamweight, and his body is rebelling against him — or psychological, as past critiques of his motivation and commitment have suggested. Maybe he saw this GIF and got nervous. At any rate, it’s possible that this MMA thing just isn’t for Henry Cejudo, at least not at the highest level.
(Jung would later tell his wife that he “just landed on it funny.” / Photo via mmashare)
As first reported by MMA in Asia, UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung (aka The Korean Zombie) has suffered a strain to his right shoulder in training, and has pulled out of his scheduled bout against Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53, October 4th in Stockholm. Jung will reportedly be able to resume training after four weeks of rehab.
No word yet on whether or not Corassani will remain on the Stockholm card against a new opponent. UFC Fight Night 53 will be headlined by Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story, and will also feature Ilir Latifi vs. Jan Blachowicz.
(Jung would later tell his wife that he “just landed on it funny.” / Photo via mmashare)
As first reported by MMA in Asia, UFC featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung (aka The Korean Zombie) has suffered a strain to his right shoulder in training, and has pulled out of his scheduled bout against Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53, October 4th in Stockholm. Jung will reportedly be able to resume training after four weeks of rehab.
No word yet on whether or not Corassani will remain on the Stockholm card against a new opponent. UFC Fight Night 53 will be headlined by Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story, and will also feature Ilir Latifi vs. Jan Blachowicz.
(“So grateful to have Alistair Overeem as a new teammate!! What a humble and hard-working individual” — Jon Jones on July 18th. Keep reading, this will become relevant soon.)
According to [Jones’s trainer Greg Jackson], the injury occurred while Jones was defending a takedown from UFC heavyweight talent Alistair Overeem during wrestling practice.
“It’s part of the game, it wasn’t like…somebody went for a flying kick and dislocated [something]. Somebody went for a takedown, [Jones] stepped the wrong way, twisted the wrong way and down he went. He was fighting it, and he just twisted it. And then it just popped,” Jackson said.
“Alistair’s maybe 240, Jon’s 220. It’s not like he was working with a giant moose. It was just one of those things.”
I’m sure Jackson’s right, but considering that Overeem previously left the Blackzilians team in the wake of allegations that he destroyed Guto Inocente’s knee out of frustration, it doesn’t reflect well on the Reem as a training partner.
As you can imagine, Jones’s rivals Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson have some opinions about the scrapped fight between Jones and DC. Short version: They’re not too psyched about it. First, here’s Cormier respectfully implying that Jones is a pussy…
(“So grateful to have Alistair Overeem as a new teammate!! What a humble and hard-working individual” — Jon Jones on July 18th. Keep reading, this will become relevant soon.)
According to [Jones’s trainer Greg Jackson], the injury occurred while Jones was defending a takedown from UFC heavyweight talent Alistair Overeem during wrestling practice.
“It’s part of the game, it wasn’t like…somebody went for a flying kick and dislocated [something]. Somebody went for a takedown, [Jones] stepped the wrong way, twisted the wrong way and down he went. He was fighting it, and he just twisted it. And then it just popped,” Jackson said.
“Alistair’s maybe 240, Jon’s 220. It’s not like he was working with a giant moose. It was just one of those things.”
I’m sure Jackson’s right, but considering that Overeem previously left the Blackzilians team in the wake of allegations that he destroyed Guto Inocente’s knee out of frustration, it doesn’t reflect well on the Reem as a training partner.
As you can imagine, Jones’s rivals Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson have some opinions about the scrapped fight between Jones and DC. Short version: They’re not too psyched about it. First, here’s Cormier respectfully implying that Jones is a pussy…
It’s very disappointing,” Cormier told MMAFighting.com. “I started to train very hard. It’s a little discouraging, but now I have time to get completely healthy. I don’t know how hurt Jon is but we have to remember that I took this fight with a pre-existing (knee) injury. I could have fought through it, I just wish he would have done the same.”
“I’ll get a full training camp now,” Cormier said. “When I heard Jon was hurt, now him and Gustafssson are on the same schedule in order to be healthy. So my first question was, ‘I don’t have to go behind Gustafsson again now, right?’ And I was assured that it’s going to be me in January. He’s not going to take my place again…
“I said from the beginning that Jon Jones isn’t afraid of anyone,” Cormier said. “But if I can go in there with a partially torn ACL, I think he should have fought; tough it up and fight.
“I don’t know the extent of his injuries, and if it’s really bad, I’ll take it back. But on the surface, I heard he hurt himself. But people hear ACL, they think you’re out for a year. I’ve been hurt, and I’ve been training. I wish he would have just fought.
“I’m saying tough it out sometimes,” he added. “Sometimes you’ve got to go in there and tough it out and just fight…
“I think people recognize that it’s a big fight,” he said. “I think by January, people will understand, and maybe people will stop thinking about us fighting on stage or getting caught cussing each other when the cameras were on.
“You’ve got two of the best fighters in the world competing for the light heavyweight championship, so maybe it will let some of this time die down, people worrying about the stuff outside the cage and focus on the fact that in 37 fights, Jon Jones has not lost two rounds combined. But in terms of fan interest, people were excited about this fight, and I’m glad that they’re still going to get the fight.”
So, there’s a silver lining for Daniel Cormier. Meanwhile, Alexander Gustafsson is getting straight screwed. Keep in mind that Cormier was originally an injury replacement for Gustafsson, who had to withdraw from his rematch against Jones due to a knee injury of his own. Now that Jones and Gustafsson will be healthy again around the same time, shouldn’t the UFC go back to Plan A, and re-book Jones vs. Gustafsson? Well, of course not, because now everybody wants to see Jones and Cormier settle their feud.
“It was MY fight to begin with and I WANT the fight as the number 1 contender. End of story!!”, Gustafsson wrote on Facebook. “Apparently @ufc thinks that acting like clowns on a press conference will hype a fight more than doing the fight of the century, that’s ridiculous,” Gustafsson added.
Well, it’s reality. Instead of complaining on social media, maybe Gustafsson should start tossing publicists off a stage and throwing his shoes. That’ll get our attention.
Gustafsson’s next opponent and return date are TBA.
(Nick Diaz described the incident as “not very gangster.” / Photo via Getty)
We’ll start with the good news: Joe Riggs is alive and safe. The bad news is, his unlikely UFC return has been postponed because he accidentally shot himself last night. From UFC.com:
Scheduled to return to the Octagon in Brasilia, Brazil on September 13 against Paulo Thiago, veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs’s first UFC bout since 2006 has been put on hold after an accident at Riggs’ home in Arizona Monday night.
The UFC released the following statement on the incident.
“We were made aware that newly-signed UFC competitor Joe Riggs was involved in an unfortunate accident last night. While cleaning his permitted firearm (a pistol), the gun discharged, injuring his hand and upper thigh. Riggs was transported to a nearby hospital in Arizona where he is being treated by physicians. We wish Joe a speedy recovery.”
A replacement opponent for Thiago is being sought and will be announced shortly.
Gun accidents claim the lives of hundreds of people every year in this country. We like to bust balls and crack wise on CagePotato, but this is a topic we would never joke about.
[*snort*]
We’ll keep you posted on Joe’s condition as we get more details.
(Nick Diaz described the incident as “not very gangster.” / Photo via Getty)
We’ll start with the good news: Joe Riggs is alive and safe. The bad news is, his unlikely UFC return has been postponed because he accidentally shot himself last night. From UFC.com:
Scheduled to return to the Octagon in Brasilia, Brazil on September 13 against Paulo Thiago, veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs’s first UFC bout since 2006 has been put on hold after an accident at Riggs’ home in Arizona Monday night.
The UFC released the following statement on the incident.
“We were made aware that newly-signed UFC competitor Joe Riggs was involved in an unfortunate accident last night. While cleaning his permitted firearm (a pistol), the gun discharged, injuring his hand and upper thigh. Riggs was transported to a nearby hospital in Arizona where he is being treated by physicians. We wish Joe a speedy recovery.”
A replacement opponent for Thiago is being sought and will be announced shortly.
Gun accidents claim the lives of hundreds of people every year in this country. We like to bust balls and crack wise on CagePotato, but this is a topic we would never joke about.
[*snort*]
We’ll keep you posted on Joe’s condition as we get more details.
Not all fans are psyched about the UFC 178 main event change, but personally, I’m kind of digging it. Even though Jones vs. Gustafsson 1 was an incredible fight, it’ll be great to see Bones get a brand-new challenge, against a contender with a ton of momentum. Is this the first time that Jon Jones will face an opponent whose wrestling ability is at least equal to his own?
By the way, UFC.com says that the Jones/Gustafsson rematch has been “postponed” — ah, that word again — which I guess means that Jones will still fight Gustafsson next if he loses to Cormier, although it kind of sounds like whoever wrote the article is just assuming that Jones will win. Speaking of which…
And so, Nurmy officially goes 1-0 in 2014, with his sole Octagon appearance resulting in a decision win against Rafael dos Anjos in April. With the lightweight division so crowded with contenders, a long layoff means that Nurmagomedov will have his work cut out for him when he returns, in terms of climbing back up the contender ladder. As for Cerrone, his next fight is once again TBA. Got any suggestions?
(Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov — just a couple of legitimate businessmen. / Photo via TitoCouture.)
And so, Nurmy officially goes 1-0 in 2014, with his sole Octagon appearance resulting in a decision win against Rafael dos Anjos in April. With the lightweight division so crowded with contenders, a long layoff means that Nurmagomedov will have his work cut out for him when he returns, in terms of climbing back up the contender ladder. As for Cerrone, his next fight is once again TBA. Got any suggestions?
