Tag: Injury

Chris Weidman Injured, Out of UFC 199 Bout With Luke Rockhold [SHOCKED FACE]


(Coming soon to a hospital near you.)

In a dramatic twist that would shock even the most seasoned MMA fan, word has it that Chris Weidman — as in the previously unbreakable, punch-a-hole-in-your-f*cking-chest Chris Weidman — has been forced to pull out of his UFC 199-scheduled rematch with Luke Rockhold due to an injury suffered in training.

We know what you’re thinking, and yes, this is probably the end of the physical world as we know it.

Details after the jump.

The post Chris Weidman Injured, Out of UFC 199 Bout With Luke Rockhold [SHOCKED FACE] appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Coming soon to a hospital near you.)

In a dramatic twist that would shock even the most seasoned MMA fan, word has it that Chris Weidman — as in the previously unbreakable, punch-a-hole-in-your-f*cking-chest Chris Weidman — has been forced to pull out of his UFC 199-scheduled rematch with Luke Rockhold due to an injury suffered in training.

We know what you’re thinking, and yes, this is probably the end of the physical world as we know it.

Details after the jump.

News of Weidman’s undisclosed injury was first broke by Talk MMA, then later confirmed by MMAFighting.

Now just two weeks out from UFC 199, the UFC is currently pursuing a last second replacement opponent to meet Rockhold in the main event. The obvious choice would seem to be Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who aside from racking up 6 wins against 1 loss in the UFC and handing Vitor Belfort his ass on a silver platter at UFC 198 last weekend, also happens to have a bit of history with Rockhold — the pair first met at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov back in 2011, where the then-champion Souza was defeated by Rockhold via unanimous decision.

Of course, there is also another fitting option for Rockhold: Michael Bisping, who has rattled off three straight wins in the middleweight division since suffering a second round submission loss to Rockhold at Fight Night 55 in 2014. For what it’s worth, Bisping seems more than up for the challenge.

Personally, we’d like to see the UFC go a little off-book and pit all three of these guys against each other in a TLC match — which in MMA, translates to “Toe Holds, Leg Kicks, and Crucifixions” — as a way of making up for the untimely falling out of their main event, but we’re sure that stupid things like “regulation” and “fighter safety” will prevent that from ever happening. This PC culture, man, let me tell you. It’s ruining everything that was once pure about this sport.

In any case, we’ll make sure to keep you updated when a replacement opponent for Weidman is announced. In the meantime, let’s all enjoy this video of Weidman in his natural habitat…

The post Chris Weidman Injured, Out of UFC 199 Bout With Luke Rockhold [SHOCKED FACE] appeared first on Cagepotato.

Injury Roundup: Anderson Silva Out of UFC 198, Dennis Siver Pulled From BJ Penn Fight


(via Getty.)

UFC 198 has just taken a HUGE hit, Nation.

Following his “controversial” decision loss to Michael Bisping at Fight Night 84 in February, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva was booked in a quick turnaround match against Uriah Hall at UFC 198 this weekend. It was an odd, if intriguing matchup from a fan’s perspective, and one that presented an opportunity for two of the UFC’s flashiest strikers to secure a much-needed win.

But now, just three days out from their scheduled meeting, Anderson Silva has been forced off of UFC 198 with one of the more unusual injuries to hit the headlines this year.

Details after the jump.

The post Injury Roundup: Anderson Silva Out of UFC 198, Dennis Siver Pulled From BJ Penn Fight appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via Getty.)

UFC 198 has just taken a HUGE hit, Nation.

Following his “controversial” decision loss to Michael Bisping at Fight Night 84 in February, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva was booked in a quick turnaround match against Uriah Hall at UFC 198 this weekend. It was an odd, if intriguing matchup from a fan’s perspective, and one that presented an opportunity for two of the UFC’s flashiest strikers to secure a much-needed win.

But now, just three days out from their scheduled meeting, Anderson Silva has been forced off of UFC 198 with one of the more unusual injuries to hit the headlines this year.

Details after the jump.

According to Yahoo, Silva officially withdrew from the card late last night after experiencing severe abdominal pains, which upon further inspection, were revealed “to be consistent with acute cholecystitis” — an inflammation of the galbladder.

Silva was then rushed to the hospital to undergo immediate surgery, which MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz ?informs us was a rousing success.

Now facing a 4-6 week recovery, the question now becomes whether Silva will be healthy enough to compete on the UFC 200 card in July. In either case, it seems that UFC will not be seeking a replacement for Uriah Hall.

In somewhat lesser injury news, BJ Penn’s totally-unwanted return fight just took a big hit in the form of his opponent, Dennis Siver, who has been forced out of the bout with an undisclosed injury. With the UFC currently scrambling to find Penn an opponent, an unexpected voice has emerged from the pack in TUF 22 finalist Artem Lobov, who took to Twitter with an interesting proposition:

All things considered, this isn’t the worst fight you could book on short notice. I mean, sure, Lobov is almost a complete non-entity to most MMA fans (and is also a whopping 0-2 in his UFC career), but he’s also a guy who both places entertainment above strategy and stands next to no chance of defeating Penn on even his best day. That’s what Penn’s unretirement is all about, right? Proving that he still has enough left in the tank to compete with *any* UFC fighter, regardless of their proximity to an actual title? He was booked against Siver, after all, who the UFC has been treating like a professional fall guy ever since he tested positive for a testicle-preserving banned substance back at UFC 168. I’m just saying that the UFC should do whatever it has to to avoid another BJ Penn breakdown, and Lobov seems like their best bet.

The post Injury Roundup: Anderson Silva Out of UFC 198, Dennis Siver Pulled From BJ Penn Fight appeared first on Cagepotato.

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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