Tag: UFC on Fox 9

Anthony Pettis Suffers Knee Injury, Fight with Josh Thomson Still on in December

Anthony Pettis seems to, more or less, have dodged a bullet.
Dana White, speaking with Fox Sports, confirmed on Saturday night that the newly crowned lightweight champion has suffered a knee injury. Luckily, the UFC president said that it was not sever…

Anthony Pettis seems to, more or less, have dodged a bullet.

Dana White, speaking with Fox Sports, confirmed on Saturday night that the newly crowned lightweight champion has suffered a knee injury. Luckily, the UFC president said that it was not severe enough to force a withdrawal from his upcoming title fight with Josh Thomson in December’s UFC on Fox 9 event, flatly saying “he’s going to fight…for sure.”

There is no word yet on whether this is a new injury or an aggravation of the previous knee injuries he suffered earlier in the year.

Pettis was forced to withdraw from a featherweight title bout against Jose Aldo at UFC 163 due to an injury to the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his left knee. He also suffered an injury in his right knee during his title fight with Benson Henderson at UFC 164. Despite the problem, he forced “Smooth” to tap to an armbar in the first round.

Injuries have stolen a great deal of Pettis‘ time in the UFC thus far. Shoulder surgery followed by a staph infection caused him to miss most of 2012, delaying his title hopes for more than 18 months. 

He is currently consulting with Dr. Steven Sanders, the go-to Las Vegas area orthopedist for the UFC. Dr. Sanders stated the injury would not require surgery.

UFC on Fox 9 is headlined by the lightweight title fight between “Showtime” and Thomson. Thomson is the former Strikeforce lightweight champion who surged back into relevance following his awesome knockout of Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7.

Stick with Bleacher Report for more updates when they become available.

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Ian McCall Out, John Dodson in vs. Scott Jorgensen at UFC on Fox 9

Just days after Ian McCall dropped out of his scheduled flyweight bout at UFC on Fox 9, a replacement has been found to take on debuting flyweight Scott Jorgensen.
The bout will be a featured prelim on a very stacked card that includes Anthony Pettis, …

Just days after Ian McCall dropped out of his scheduled flyweight bout at UFC on Fox 9, a replacement has been found to take on debuting flyweight Scott Jorgensen.

The bout will be a featured prelim on a very stacked card that includes Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes.

John Dodson, who is coming off an absolute drubbing of Darrell Montague this month at UFC 166, will make a quick turnaround and join the card in Sacramento, California. It will be Dodson’s third fight this year, winning the aforementioned Montague bout after falling in a flyweight championship bout to Demetrious Johnson.

Jorgensen makes the drop to flyweight after recent struggles at his normal home of bantamweight. He is 1-3 in his last four fights, including a brutal knockout loss to Eddie Wineland and a submission loss to Urijah Faber.

He is a former bantamweight title challenger, as he took on Dominick Cruz at the final WEC event. He lost via unanimous decision but showed great durability in that fight.

As for the new fight, it should be interesting. Jorgensen is making a ten-pound drop to flyweight. This is his first time dropping, so we will see how he handles the cut.

He is a great wrestler with a good chin. He is going to want to get Dodson down, or he will get outstruck by the technical, powerful striker.

Dodson, though, has great takedown defense, athleticism and quickness, which has allowed him to stay upright in his fights. If you take a look at his UFC track record, he has knocked out some top guys including Montague, Jussier da Silva and TJ Dillashaw.

Many people think Dodson is the top contender after the Demetrious Johnson-Joseph Benavidez fight. He will definitely solidify that status with a win over Jorgensen.

Stay tuned for more news and updates from Bleacher Report.

 

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Injury Report: ‘Uncle Creepy’ Off of UFC on FOX 9, ‘Spartan’ Pulls Out of Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Final With Cheick Kongo


(“Serves you right, you bastard.” — The local homeless drug-addict community. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

A potential flyweight slobber-knocker between Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall and Scott Jorgensen has been taken off of the loaded UFC on FOX 9 card (December 14th, Sacramento). As MMAJunkie reports, McCall has been forced to pull out with an undisclosed injury.

After going 0-2-1 in his first three UFC appearances, McCall won his do-or-die fight against Iliarde Santos at UFC 163, and was looking to make it two in a row against Jorgensen, a former bantamweight contender who was scheduled to make his 125-pound debut. The UFC is currently looking for a replacement opponent for Jorgensen, who was most recently choked out by Urijah Faber at the TUF 17 Finale. Anyway, tough break for Creepy. We’ll update you when we know more.

In other injury news, Bellator 106 has taken another step towards “cursed card” status…


(“Serves you right, you bastard.” — The local homeless drug-addict community. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

A potential flyweight slobber-knocker between Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall and Scott Jorgensen has been taken off of the loaded UFC on FOX 9 card (December 14th, Sacramento). As MMAJunkie reports, McCall has been forced to pull out with an undisclosed injury.

After going 0-2-1 in his first three UFC appearances, McCall won his do-or-die fight against Iliarde Santos at UFC 163, and was looking to make it two in a row against Jorgensen, a former bantamweight contender who was scheduled to make his 125-pound debut. The UFC is currently looking for a replacement opponent for Jorgensen, who was most recently choked out by Urijah Faber at the TUF 17 Finale. Anyway, tough break for Creepy. We’ll update you when we know more.

In other injury news, Bellator 106 has taken another step towards “cursed card” status…

Following the laughably-predictable Tito Ortiz neck injury that torpedoed Bellator’s first pay-per-view show (which will now be broadcast for free on Spike TV), the promotion’s November 2nd event in Long Beach has also lost the Season 9 Heavyweight Tournament final between Vinicius “Spartan” Kappke de Queiroz Steinberg McMenamin and Cheick Kongo. On Saturday, Kongo tweeted that the fight had been moved to the main event of Bellator 107 the following week, but now it’s been confirmed that Spartan is out of the match altogether with an ACL injury. It’s unclear when the Brazilian heavyweight will be back in action, or who/when Kongo will fight next.

Fun fact: Bellator’s current heavyweight champion is a guy named Alexander Volkov; I just learned that on Wikipedia. Come back, Cole — the game needs you.

Injury Forces Ian McCall Out of Bout with Scott Jorgensen at UFC on Fox 9

One of the year’s most anticipated flyweight bouts has now been thrown on the scrap heap as the 125-pound showdown between Scott Jorgensen and Ian McCall has officially been shelved. The former bantamweight title challenger and the top-ranked flyw…

One of the year’s most anticipated flyweight bouts has now been thrown on the scrap heap as the 125-pound showdown between Scott Jorgensen and Ian McCall has officially been shelved. The former bantamweight title challenger and the top-ranked flyweight were set to mix it up at UFC on Fox 9 on Dec. 14, but an injury to “Uncle Creepy” has forced him out of the fight.

According to a report originally released by MMA Junkie, McCall has suffered an undisclosed injury during training and has been removed from the bout with Jorgensen. The report also went on to say that Jorgensen will look to remain on the card and a replacement is being sought.

The 31-year-old Idaho-based fighter is coming off a loss to perennial contender Urijah Faber in his most recent showing at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale back in April and is looking to find a new home in the flyweight division. The matchup with McCall was set to be his official debut in the 125-pound collective and had the potential to launch the winner into title contention. 

Losing McCall as his opponent will certainly take a bit of the buzz off Jorgensen’s flyweight debut, but the arrival of “Young Guns” to the 125-pound fold is certainly highly anticipated. He was a former title challenger to the bantamweight crown in the WEC and has remained a staple in the upper-tier of the 135-pound division under the UFC banner. Now, with a move to flyweight, Jorgensen instantly figures to be a major player in the development of the 125-pound division.

As for McCall, the injury comes at a time when he was just starting to make a move toward a championship opportunity. After a rough start under the UFC banner where he went 0-2-1, the Southern California native picked up a much-needed victory over Iliarde Santos at UFC 163 in August. The bout with Jorgensen could have potentially earned him a title opportunity, but the injury will make sure that won’t be materializing in the immediate future.

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Josh Thomson Believes Anthony Pettis Is Starting to Believe His Own Hype

Josh Thomson has been one of the top lightweight fighters on the planet for the past decade. The 35-year-old American Kickboxing Academy staple has retained his status among the elite at 155 pounds by proving to be one of the most versatile fighters in…

Josh Thomson has been one of the top lightweight fighters on the planet for the past decade. The 35-year-old American Kickboxing Academy staple has retained his status among the elite at 155 pounds by proving to be one of the most versatile fighters in a weight class that is filled with world-class talent.

“The Punk’s” blend of grappling, endless cardio and striking talents have kept him at the top of the heap in the lightweight division, and on Dec. 14 at UFC on Fox 9, he will finally get his long-awaited opportunity to prove he’s the best of the best.

The former Strikeforce lightweight champion will square off with newly minted UFC champion Anthony Pettis in what is figured to be one of the most action-packed clashes of the year. “Showtime” is heralded as one of the premier strikers in MMA, and Thomson has a well-deserved reputation for being as game as they come in the standup department.

In addition to the stylistic matchup, the bout will present an opportunity Thomson has been eyeing for years. Despite being one of the top lightweights in the UFC during his initial run back in 2003, the Californian never had the chance to compete for UFC gold.

When the organization eliminated the 155-pound weight class in 2005, Thomson moved onto numerous top-level promotions and scrapped it out with the best the world had to offer outside of the UFC banner. Nevertheless, he made a triumphant return to the biggest stage in MMA last April at UFC on Fox 7 and did so in impressive fashion, as he knocked out former title challenger Nate Diaz in the second round of their tilt in San Jose.

The victory put him within striking distance of a title shot, but the road ahead still was unclear. That is until proposed No. 1 contender T.J. Grant’s time away from the cage was extended due to a slow recovery on a head injury he had suffered in training.

With Grant out, an opportunity a decade in the making presented itself, and Thomson was given a chance to face Pettis for championship gold. He believes he has what it takes to unseat the Milwaukee native from the throne and promises their scrap in Sacramento will be a “can’t miss” fight for the fans.

The No. 1 contender to the lightweight crown stopped by Bleacher Report’s studio to talk about his return to the UFC and his upcoming collision with Pettis.

 

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UFC Booking Alert: Pat Healy vs. Jamie Varner Slated for UFC on Fox 9


(UFC lightweight Pat Healy, daring us to make a HHNNNGGGG reference in two consecutive posts. Nice try, buddy. / Photo via Getty)

UFC on Fox 9 is shaping up to be a straight-up excellent card. The latest solid matchup was just announced as Pat Healy and Jamie Varner square up opposite one another in a lightweight contest. Both men are coming off losses but, on paper, this looks like yet another exciting and evenly-matched bout for the December 14th event in Sacramento.

Varner lost his last outing against Gleison Tibau via split decision. Before that, Varner bested Melvin Guillard and before that, he lost a thrilling bout to Joe Lauzon via submission, which won Fight of the Night honors at UFC on FOX 4. Healy recently returned after a marijuana-metabolite suspension that turned his incredible UFC-debut win over Jim Miller into a no-contest, and recently lost a decision to fellow Strikeforce vet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 165. (Yes, I had to copy and paste Khabib’s name. No, I will never remember how to spell or pronounce it.)

Joining Healy and Varner on the December 14th UFC on Fox 9 card are new lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defending his strap against Josh Thomson, and Carlos Condit and Matt Brown trying to tear each other’s hearts out in a welterweight contender showdown. Also, Court McGee and Kelvin Gastelum do battle in one of those, TUF vs. TUF type contests. Your predictions, please.

– Elias Cepeda


(UFC lightweight Pat Healy, daring us to make a HHNNNGGGG reference in two consecutive posts. Nice try, buddy. / Photo via Getty)

UFC on Fox 9 is shaping up to be a straight-up excellent card. The latest solid matchup was just announced as Pat Healy and Jamie Varner square up opposite one another in a lightweight contest. Both men are coming off losses but, on paper, this looks like yet another exciting and evenly-matched bout for the December 14th event in Sacramento.

Varner lost his last outing against Gleison Tibau via split decision. Before that, Varner bested Melvin Guillard and before that, he lost a thrilling bout to Joe Lauzon via submission, which won Fight of the Night honors at UFC on FOX 4. Healy recently returned after a marijuana-metabolite suspension that turned his incredible UFC-debut win over Jim Miller into a no-contest, and recently lost a decision to fellow Strikeforce vet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 165. (Yes, I had to copy and paste Khabib’s name. No, I will never remember how to spell or pronounce it.)

Joining Healy and Varner on the December 14th UFC on Fox 9 card are new lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defending his strap against Josh Thomson, and Carlos Condit and Matt Brown trying to tear each other’s hearts out in a welterweight contender showdown. Also, Court McGee and Kelvin Gastelum do battle in one of those, TUF vs. TUF type contests. Your predictions, please.

– Elias Cepeda