It’s amazing how quickly the climate changes. Just three weeks ago the thought of a fighter getting released from the UFC at 0-1 or 0-2 seemed a remote possibility. An expanding schedule of fight cards and increasing demand for talent meant that it appeared the UFC was prepared to give fighters a lot of room to work. Not so fast…
A couple weeks later and we’re back to the old standard, with another fighter on a two fight skid, this time former Legacy FC flyweight champion Will Campuzano. Campuzano shared the news of his release on Twitter.
I’ve been released from the UFC. Its back to the drawing board.
A former WEC and UFC talent, Campuzano will head back to the regionals with a 1-6 record in his three tours under the various Zuffa promotions. He’s shown himself to be a quality fighter at the lower levels of MMA and at only 27 years of age, it’s hard not to think he has a lot of time left in the sport if he chooses to keep it up. But, it’s difficult to see that he could get another UFC call up anytime soon. Maybe a few years down the road. Until then, it may be a hard fought battle back to the top for Campuzano.
Stay tuned for more news as I doubt this is the last we’ve seen of the UFC roster adjustments this week.
Despite past predilections, it looks like Daniel Cormier may have a fight with Dan Henderson coming. Cormier had stated in the past that he’d rather not fight Henderson, due to his “man crush” on the former Strikeforce champ. But it looks like the UFC has put an end to the note passing and the hand holding following Henderson’s comeback win over Mauricio Rua at UFC Fight Night Natal earlier this month. MMA Fighting reports that a source “with knowledge of the situation,” has tabbed Hendo as next in line for Cormier.
On last week’s episode of “UFC Tonight,” it was reported that Cormier vs. Cavalcante was being discussed for the event — and it was — however, the promotion decided to offer Henderson the Cormier fight following his thrilling comeback win over Shogun Rua on March 23. Had Henderson turned down the fight for whatever reason, the UFC most likely would have booked Cormier vs. Cavalcante.
Cormier will enter the bout fresh off his first round knockout win over Patrick Cummins at UFC 170. He’s 3-0 in the UFC so far with wins over Cummins, Roy Nelson, and Frank Mir. For Henderson, his victory over Rua comes on the tail of a string of bad performances. Back to back to back losses at the hands of Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Vitor Belfort saw his stock drop in the eyes of many fans and media, while building the narrative that he might not have a lot of miles left in the tank. His win over Rua came after two solid rounds for Shogun that saw Henderson dropped once in the first and second round. A win over Cormier, even a less than spectacular one, would be a huge feather in Henderson’s cap at this stage in his career.
UFC 175 is set to take place on July 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between reigning champion Chris Weidman and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. No other bouts have been announced for the card as of yet.
UPDATE: Dana white took to twitter to make it known that the fight is not yet a done deal:
@arielhelwani Ariel is not correct. That fight is not done
Over the weekend, Bloody Elbow’s Anton Tabuena got a chance to speak with longtime UFC bantamweight and Team Alpha Male cornerstone, Urijah Faber. In his interview, Tabuena asked Faber about training partner Paige VanZant and what he felt her chances were inside the Ultimate Fighter house for the upcoming season of TUF, coached by Anthony Pettis and Gil Melendez. Faber’s response came as a bit of a shock. Faber told Bloody Elbow that VanZant would not be participating on the show, due to her age. American seasons of TUF have required participants to be over 21 in the past. It appears the news was a shock to VanZant as well. As she took to twitter to issue a denial of Faber’s statements.
Rumors have started circulating that I will not be on TUF20. I have not been told this information and as of now will be on the show.
Often in such situations, fighters and managers can be in the dark as to the full spectrum of the UFC’s plans. So it is possible that either Faber or VanZant could be missing a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to her participation on TUF 20. Stay tuned as Bloody Elbow will be sure to keep you up to date with more information as it becomes available.
UPDATE: VanZant has since deleted the above Tweet from her account.
As the UFC moves forward with it’s ban on TRT outside the US, and Nevada pushes ahead it’s own in-state initiative, fighters are starting to speak out on where they stand on legalized performance enhancement. Several fighters, such as Chris Weidman and Georges St-Pierre have already come out in strong support of the TRT ban. While fighters such as Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen have criticized the measures as a solution to a problem that didn’t really exist. Former UFC champion B.J. Penn recently gave an interview to The Roar, and the topic of TRT in MMA was one of the subjects on the docket.
I think that’s the best thing that could have ever happened to the sport. You know, right now I would be a great candidate for TRT because of my age. Because everybody knows I have no problem with testosterone, that’s the last problem I’d ever have.
Penn also spoke about his upcoming fight with Frankie Edgar, his future in the featherweight division, and what he did with all his time off during his two years out of the cage. So, check out the whole thing here. And, in the meantime, you can chalk up another name in the growing list of UFC fighters who are happy to see testosterone replacement therapy banned from competition.
Germany’s Nick Hein is one of the newest additions to the UFC roster. Hailing from Cologne, Germany, the former national team Judoka was the 2006 U-23 European Judo champion as well as the 2006 and 2007 German national champion. After a failed bid for the 2008 Olympics in China, as well as a bad leg injury, Hein made the decision to turn his attention to his longtime secondary passion, MMA.
Hein began his career at welterweight, going 9-1 (1 NC) before dropping to lightweight for his last bout, a decision win over Michael Erdinc. I wrote more about his fighting style here, but he has all the makings of a strong prospect in the UFC’s 155 lb division. Hein will be making his debut against Drew Dober at the UFC’s upcoming Fight Night card in Berlin. He sat down with me (over several thousand miles of land and ocean) to talk about his life in and out of the cage, and what brought him to MMA.
Why MMA? Okay, so I need to go back a little bit, because I used to do Judo for 20 years. And I remember in, I think it was 2000/2001 I got those… You know the old VHS video tapes? Somebody gave it to me and said, “You need to watch this.” I think it’s the common story everyone has that, like, most of the fighters have that. They got those VHS. And I put it in the video recorder and I switched on and I was, from the first minute, I was infected by it. I was totally… Yes, it was like this. I was totally stunned. And, for me that was… I couldn’t believe that something next to Bloodsport, like this, would exist. You know, Bloodsport was for me the top, and then there’s something really comparable.
Of course it wasn’t right from the start that I said, “I’m going to do that.” But, it grew, it grew every day a little bit. And then, I remember, I bought the first pair of boxing gloves and I started boxing with a friend and, yeah. So, it went like this. And then, I remember, 2008 I went in the qualification for the Olympic games in the German national team, Judo. And during that time I got… I had a tough time, I had good competition. I remember, in the end of the year I ended up with a broken leg and I thought, “You know, all this…” For me, the fire, the passion went out.
“I’m going to finish Judo. I’m going to quit that s**t. I’m going to do MMA.”
And I remember that I was in the hospital and my parents came in and they wanted to say, “Hello,” and “How are you?” They wanted to give me a good feeling, that I’m… That, you know, we stick together and everything is okay. And right from the start I said, “I’m going to finish Judo. I’m going to quit that shit. I’m going to do MMA.” And my parents went, like, “Oh no, now he’s crazy.” And yes, that was actually beginning, like half a year later I did my first fight. I still was in the Judo national team and I had to do it secretly. I couldn’t make it official, because otherwise there would have been punishment. Because, they count on you, you have to be in good shape and stuff. So, I had to do it secretly and I did. I did my first fight and, yeah, I won. And from that day I knew, “This is it.”
Do you see yourself as a Judoka in MMA, or is this a new sport for you? It’s a good question. I think I also have to go back a little bit, because since the first day, I remember when I was a kid I had this dream, like, one day I’m going to be really good at something. Maybe, I know it sounds crazy, but maybe, like, the best in the world, or the best in something that I wanted to do. I saw, I remember… I mean, my mother and I, we argue about that, because she thinks the story is a little different. But, I am pretty sure it’s like this, how I am going to tell you.
“My mother said I started Judo because of a girl, but I’m pretty sure it was my story with Bruce Lee.”
I saw Bruce Lee and I thought, “Wow, that’s awesome, I want to do something like this.” And my mother said I started Judo because of a girl, but I’m pretty sure it was my story with Bruce Lee. And I saw this guy, and I thought, “I want to be good in that.” But, in our village, there was no Jeet Kune Do, no Karate, and there was Judo. So, I started Judo and I think, having this passion, being the best in something, grew. And I saw I was good in Judo, so it grew with Judo. But, nevertheless, I always had the feeling that I want to evolve, I want to be better. I want to, like, I like boxing, I like ground fighting and some Jiu Jitsu. But, you know, for me it wasn’t necessary because of the Judo. I was good in that.
But then, up to a point, I recognized it didn’t make me happy anymore. I want to do something, maybe, different. But, still being in this competition, being able, maybe, to go to Olympics, made me stick to that. And then, when the disappointment of not going to the Olympics and stuff released this pressure of focusing on Judo, I could release this idea of being an MMA fighter. And this is actually what I’m still, like, still have. Of course I want to be good, I want to see how good or how far I can go this way, but nevertheless I love what I do. I would even love it when I would do good on local competitions, for example. So this is, my aim is just doing what I love and see how far I can go.
But are you going to be a Judoka in the cage? For me it’s like, I think I want to do that, what gives me at the end, will give me the win. During the way I started MMA, I found out that I can pop, punch quite good, you know? I don’t always hit, I don’t always land my punches, but when I land them they can cause some damage. So, in the fight, if I have the opportunity to take somebody down with a punch, I’m going to do that. And of course, punching is not in regular Judo competition involved, but for me being a fighter it’s, what you can get you take.
Of course, if I can throw him with a beautiful seoi-nage I’m going to do that. If it gives me the, at the end my hand gets raised, I’m going to do whatever it takes. So for me, I don’t really try to show that I’m a Judo guy, you know, I’m just using the skills that I have. And if I will find out that I can do some Jean-Claude Van Damme kicks I’m going to do them. Then I’m going to throw them like “Da-da-dow.”
You come out of a pretty small camp, Club do Leao. Tell me about how you train.
“I’m telling you, don’t underestimate the crazy Germans.”
As we already figured out, Germany is still in the process of developing some mixed martial arts basement. So of course, we are still far away from the standard of, for example, the States have. But, what I have to say is, we are really really dragging every opportunity we have. I mean, of course, there’s not those big training centers, comparative to the States where you have everything at one place. But, I have a car and we have Olympic boxers, we have some high class Jiu Jitsu players, we have world class wrestlers. The only problem is, I leave my house and comeback during the night and I race down hundreds of kilometers a day. It’s possible. Not every day, but at some point it’s like this. So of course it’s, you can’t compare it to the States, I totally agree with you, but maybe that’s also something… You know, you saw Rocky, right? I mean, he’s training with the meat. And finally, he gets Apollo, he gets there. And I’m telling you, don’t underestimate the crazy Germans.
We are trying our best and we have some… I mean, my manager Tim, he’s really really good in organizing camps, with good guys. Right now he’s already planning for the future. And maybe, you know, we don’t have all the good guys in one place, but we organize them. We have really good fighters already, also in UFC, from Poland, from the Netherlands, from France. You can change places as well. It’s something you have to bring with your heart, maybe with your will. And of course, in my case, a wife that is willing to live with a crazy guy like this, always going to places for training. But, until now it works and I’m confident. I’m really confident that we are up to the challenge.
You’re a police officer as well. How much of a full time job is that on top of MMA? First, it’s like, right now it’s not that I’m full time, it’s part time. This is possible because… When you hear the whole story it gets a little more colorful, because, you know, I’m married to a Japanese woman, my wife is Japanese, we have a son. I got to know her during my stay in Japan. I went there for several months and we got to know each other and yeah, she decided to bet all she has on me. And she came to Germany, we got married, and there’s this good opportunity the German police office gives you, when you have a family like this. And of course I want to let my wife take part in society, so she needed to learn a language, she needed to find a job, to take part in society. The German police, they give you the opportunity for that and they say, “Okay, we give you the opportunity of part time that you get your family stuff done.”
So, there’s a conflict and there’s opportunity, like there is now, that… For example, I can take the little guy, the little fella, his name is Noah, I can take sometimes also to training. He’s someone that everybody there loves to see. And he’s there running around on the mat during my training sometimes. And also, sometimes, my family is watching him, so my wife is able to do her stuff and I’m able to do the training.
So, when I’m at the police I’m totally focused on that, but during, like, it’s really reduced, so I can focus on my family and, of course, on the training. And this is something… To answer your question in the short way is, I don’t have too many other hobbies, you know? It’s just, I have to focus on that.
You’re on a TV show, Diese Kaminskis, what’s it about? How did you end up there? I think a comparable program would be, I don’t know, you know this show “Six Feet Under”? Yeah, it’s kind of like this one. It’s really a… Actually, when I talk about both things, I sometimes don’t believe them myself. But, it really happened like this: You know, they were looking… The plot of the show is like this: There’s three undertakers. There’s three undertakers and they are total idiots, they have no idea what they are doing. And they are also, they are brothers. It’s a comedy, and they are supposed to… They want to make a new start in their life, being undertakers, because they think everyone dies, so there’s always enough clients. And so, they’re going to make a big business. But nevertheless, they really spoil everything. So, it’s quite funny and there’s three brothers and I’m playing Marco. Marco is the youngest and dumbest of all.
Actually, they were looking for somebody that is, you know, that has a little biceps, and they maybe is really playing that character. And actually, I don’t really have to play him, you know, I just have to get loose. This role was really made for me. A friend said to the producer here, he said, “I know somebody who would really be right.” I must mention this, the other actors, they are all professional actors. But for me, I didn’t go to acting school, so they just said, “C’mon.” And I said, “Yeah, why not? I can try.” So, I got invited, I went there with my one day notice, and I just played the role and they were fascinated. So, I got the job. And the first show was really a success and the TV channel bought another six shows. And there’s like a big TV prize, it’s not like the Oscars, but in Germany for TV, and we are nominated. It’s something that I didn’t really work for, but I just got it. And they’re really satisfied with my stuff. That is also something that just came and fell into my hands.
What was it like to get the UFC call? Were you expecting it? It didn’t fall in my lap, it was… Actually it started, you know, I was always something like, saying for example, you are a parent and you have a child and this child one day comes to you and says, “Daddy I want to be an astronaut.” And you say, “Yes, of course you’re going to be an astronaut.” Because you love your child and you want to give him a good feeling of, you know. For me it was like, I was saying, “I want… One day I have this dream.” I always had this dream when I was sitting in my car and you hear some good music coming, some maybe Van Halen or stuff. And then, yeah, in my mind I was already walking out in the stadium to my music.
“All the s***ty years before were just equalized in maybe six months.”
But, actually that it would happen, “pfft” I don’t know if I would really believe that. Because, as I told several times before, Germany’s not really the place, hasn’t been the place ’til now, for MMA. We weren’t really on the map. It was a dream, but you know… And then Tim called me half a year ago and said, “What do you think? Why shouldn’t we work together and work on this aim, this dream?” And I was really… That was maybe the first time I thought, when somebody’s really believing in me. I mean, he called me, we are not living at the same place, and he called me and said, “You know, I think you can do it. Why don’t you think… Shouldn’t we work together?” I was like, “Really? Can it be real?” We started to work together and then from that day on I just can tell you, you know, everything, all the shitty years before were just equalized in maybe six months. It went, really, like this.
When I got the call from Tim, telling me what really is now a reality, I remember I just… You know, we were sitting in the team, together in our gym, and we have like a couch, and I jumped up and I want to run and my foot got stuck and I fell down. And everyone was like, “Oh man, he’s really an idiot.” Because, they didn’t know what I was listening on the phone at the time. It was just amazing.
Did trying out for the Ultimate Fighter ever cross your mind in the past? Yes, it has. In my old club we have had some guys that were actually also sending in the videos and stuff for the Ultimate Fighter. And I was also thinking and talking, but the thing is, it also depends on who you are working with. At that time I didn’t really have the right people to work with. And so, of course I’ve thought of that. I can tell you also, this interview we are right now having, for example, I already had that in my mind five years ago. I was already exercising myself. It was always something that I thought, “Yeah, could happen, man. I want to do that.” But, there wasn’t really a door to step actually through to do something. It was always far away.
You’re making your debut against Drew Dober. How are you getting ready for this fight?
Just another day in the office. No, actually it’s as you said. It’s the way I’d think of any fight. It’s really hard to… I think it’s really hard and really, yeah, hard is the best word, to always focus specifically on this person, because I’m not going to really be able to change from a Judo player to a, I don’t know, a Taekwondo, kick fighter. I’m having my style. I try to develop every time, every fight try to be better.
Of course we are studying his fights, of course we are going to find out if he has a mistake he’s doing, or I don’t know. It’s the same business for him. He’s going to do that, probably already knows everything… I don’t know, I think it’s usual business. But, nonetheless it’s always the same, I try to become better every time. It’s a long process and I’m not going to… It’s not my intention to end my career after this fight. I believe in God and I hope his intentions for me are a little further than that. So, I’m going to go for being a better fighter and do what I have to do.
How do people perceive the sport in Germany?
“In my opinion it’s a fight between two generations.”
Right now it’s, in my opinion it’s a fight between two generations. We have the old generation which grow up that boxing is the only real, accepted fighting sport with throwing fists. Kickboxing is already something that is, “Mmm, we don’t know yet. Oh, those guys with kicking, I don’t know.” And then we have the young generation that is going to make the decisions in the future. Young guys are already training MMA and loving the sport, that also grew up with it, kind of. The UFC already exists… They celebrate the 20th birthday. So, it’s 20 years, I’m now 29. So, since I have access to internet and stuff, I, like my fellas, I grew up being able to also watch the sport develop.
And also, like in the States, it had problems getting acceptance. Because, the actual problem is how people can’t really identify with the idea of still fighting with a guy that is lying on the ground. And maybe now we are still five years, or maybe a little more years, behind the United States in this development of thought. But this is a problem that’s going to find a solution in a few years. Because, we have, only in my club we have two lawyers, we have two doctors, right, we have a police officer, me. I mean, not the police officers, but maybe the lawyers of tomorrow are going to decide who’s going to be able to broadcast on TV.
And the politicians from today, the older generation, is still working against it. But the next generation of new politicians, that already have been in a mixed martial arts club and have practiced it, they are going to decide who’s going to be able to make events, as we have the problem with media and TV. So, this is something that is just a matter of time. And it’s going to happen, everyone loves it here. We love it, the guys love it, the girls love it. It’s just, it’s going to take a little time. And, as I told you, we are trying to push that a little, because there’s great potential in Germany. Also Europe, everywhere, but I can just talk for Germany of course, as being German.
Right now we are really living off some crazy individuals that are putting all their effort into it and that are raising it up. And the media and, of course, the big companies are going to find out how awesome the sport is. They are going to put money in it, because then they can bring commercials. But, as I told you, I think it’s just a matter of time.
Has your toughest fight come in the cage, or in uniform? Oh, that’s a good one. Actually, my toughest fight would be none of both. Because, my toughest fight has been with myself through all the years, deciding to do what I’m doing now. Because, convincing myself to keep on that crazy idea, one day being one of.. I think I’m now the fifth German in the UFC in 20 years?
Actually, with the way the UFC advertises fighters by birth nationality I think you’ll be the second.
Yes… I just realized how cool that is. Yeah… So, I just got stuck in this thought. I just said to Tim that I was so happy about what you said that I just forgot the question. It’s the punches, you know, after a while you start to forget what people ask you.
“I’m still looking for my personal ‘landing on the moon.'”
And my toughest fight… You know, you can’t really consider the police. The fights I had I won easily. Because, usually the guys are drunks, so it’s not that hard. And, of course, every fight… It wouldn’t be fair to say “That was the toughest,” or “That was the toughest.” So, actually, toughest fight.. I don’t know, really with myself. The fight’s in my head. In the cage they were all tough, but I’m still looking for my personal “landing on the moon.” Like, this big fight that I’m going to show my son one day and saying like, “That was your father.” And then he’s going, “Yay!” So, I hope there’s still something coming up in the future.
Rousimar Palhares has a reputation and it’s one built on a series of incidents. Capped off by his release from the UFC following a heel hook victory over Mike Pierce, that almost all media observers categorized as “dirty,” Palhares has been somewhat justifiably vilified as a fighter that just doesn’t seem to “get it” when it comes to fair play. That the World Series of Fighting was willing to pick him up as quickly as they did, and slot him into a title shot no less, is a testament to the excitement that Palhares’ skill brings with him. He may be a loose cannon, but he’s a fun one.
His victory over Steve Carl to become the new WSOF welterweight champion had many seeing shades of his old UFC behavior in a new setting. The reaction from many fans and media members was that Palhares had once again failed to release a dangerous submission until well after the ref intervened. However the WSOF brass, Ali Abel-Aziz and Ray Sefo, aren’t seeing it that way. They spoke to MMAFighting shortly after the event.
“The submission happened right in front of Ali and I,” said Sefo. “I thought as soon as the referee told him to let go, he let go. So if you think that he held it too long, then you’re crazy. … “I think everybody needs to leave this kid alone,” said Abdel-Aziz. “He went through a lot already, and he’s a champ now. I think everybody should be congratulating him and praising him as a champ.
“When you’re talking about an inside inverted heel hook, come talk to anybody in this room, any black belt in the room, you don’t have time to tap. If it’s a regular heel hook from the outside, you do have time to roll out of it. He turned it into a kneebar, and after that he went into an inverted heel hook. Many, many guys I know, including myself, I popped my MCL because you don’t have time to tap.”
Palhares, his manager, and even Carl himself also offered their view of the submission, none of which found fault with either fighter. But, whether or not this specific submission really is reflective of poor sportsmanship on the part of Palhares is almost unimportant at this point. In the eyes of most, Palhares has well and truly earned his reputation for bad conduct in the cage and any future incidents that fall in the grey area between needed and unnecessary are going to draw criticism towards his fighting style. Even as a fairly vocal supporter of Palhares surrounding his UFC release, my first reaction to his fight with Carl was “Here we go again.”
If you haven’t seen it, here’s the GIF, courtesy of Zombie Prophet. You can judge for yourself:
We all knew it was coming. Bisping, if anything is rarely silent. And in the face of pointed criticism from his rivals, a response was inevitable. Bisping spoke to Damon Martin at Fox Sports about the Ranger Up brand, and his feelings toward their use of his image to help market their products. His review of their work was less than glowing, to put it mildly.
“They do seem to have a hard on for me. There’s the fact that their product is obviously so s–t that they have to latch onto me, a fighter that’s got nothing to do with their company, but they’ve got to latch onto me and take a bit of my star, a bit of my limelight without sounding like an a–hole to try and sell a f–king few of their sh–ty t-shirts and jeans,” Bisping said.
“I mean if you are bored enough like I am sometimes, you can go on their website and look at their clothing and holy s–t no wonder they’re trying to use me to sell some of it, because I don’t know who in their right mind would buy any of that s–t. It’s just f–king awful.”
…
“To be honest, it’s just a whole waste of time on their behalf. I don’t know what they hope to achieve from. They’re trying to make fun of me, I get that, but it was just an epic fail. An epic fail of all proportions. I didn’t think it was funny, I think it was just a big fat waste of their time. The fact that Ranger Up and Tim Kennedy, I think they’re one and the same, I don’t know that to be true, but I assume they’re one and the same — they’re doing just what Jorge Rivera did. Good for you, milk it. Milk it to the fullest potential because it’s over again for another few years until you have some other f–king d–khead that might want to fight me again.”
He also spoke about the build up to his fight with Jorge Rivera, which led to him spitting on corner-man Matt Phinney post fight. Phinny, not-so-coincidentally, was the man chosen to play Bisping in Ranger Up’s latest I am Michael Bisping video. Honestly, of all the attempts they’ve made to poke fun at Bisping, I found this latest one to be the most lighthearted and fun. But, I suppose it’s a little easier to laugh when the joke’s not on you… or at least not part of a long and systematic campaign to get under your skin.
Several days out from his planned bout against Keenan Cornelius at Metamoris 3, Vinny Magalhaes noticed a small bump under his arm. After starting to feel feverish he went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a staph infection and put on antibiotics. His bout with Cornelius was not going to be cancelled… Except that it sounds like it wasn’t staph. Following no improvement in his condition, he went back to the hospital for a second opinion and found out that it could be MRSA. Magalahes relayed the news via Twitter on Saturday.
Bad news: I’m out of my metamoris match against Keenan Cornelius. On Tuesday night after I got done with all my training sessions, I noticed a tiny little thing under my arm which looked like nothing but an ingrown hair. It didn’t change size or anything throughout the day on Wednesday, I did some pad work in the evening with my Thai coach and everything went fine. When I got home from the gym, I felt like the area was getting too hot and I was starting to have fever. When it was around 11:00pm i decided to go to the ER, and see if what I had was more than just an ingrown hair. The doctor said that I found out soon enough that there was nothing in it to be drained but said that I had staph infection, and prescribed me some antibiotics. I got on them right away, and the next day I notified Ralek about the infection, and also told what the doctor had told me. The doctor told me that 24hrs after starting the antibiotics, I should start to see results, and most likely it wouldn’t spread out. Well, keenan contacted me, I told him the situation and he knew the risks and still agreed to the match. Over these last couple days, things just got worse, I had really high fever all night these last couple nights, even though I was on antibiotics, the wound wouldn’t stop getting bigger. So today at around 2 I decided to get a second opinion and the doctor told me that I might have MRSA, since the antibiotics haven’t worked at all and I’m on my third day on them. I’m at the hospital right now, the doctors will give me an IV with antibiotics and drain the area. The Dr. Just walked in and said that this is one of the most painful thing according to her patients… FUUUUU Well, sorry everyone that was rooting for me, and those that bought the event expecting me to be part of it… I tried… I really tried.
Magalhaes also tweeted a picture of the infection:
MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a flesh eating bacteria that is highly resistant to antibiotics. It’s a major danger in hospital environments, and obviously grappling environments which encourage a lot of bacteria growth on their own. If he does indeed have MRSA, it could be a long, painful recovery process and he definitely made the right decision in not getting out on the mat in a grappling match. Hopefully, for Vinny’s sake, he can recover quickly and get back to competition once he’s free from infection.
Update: Word on the street is that Cornelius will remain on the card and is facing Kevin Casey as a late replacement.
For those looking at T.J. Dillashaw’s recently announced bout with Renan Barao for the bantamweight title with a bit of skepticism, it turns out that as often as not matchmaking is driven by injury rather than status. After defeating Pedro Munhoz at UFC 170,his sixth straight win in the bantamweight division, Raphael Assuncao had positioned himself nicely as the number one contender to the 135 lb title. He had recently defeated top contender T.J. Dillashaw, and his resume was deeper than the other streaking bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki. Between rounds at UFC 170, Assuncao’s corner could be heard telling him to “earn his title shot,” they knew what was on the line.
And just like that, the big fish is off the hook. Despite going 6-0 over the last 2+ years, Assuncao will find himself on the sidelines when Renan Barao next defends his belt. T.J. Dillashaw is stepping in the ring to face the world’s number one bantamweight. But, Assuncao wasn’t passed over, he was injured. And in a card in desperate need of more depth and interest (at least that’s what many were saying) the UFC couldn’t afford to wait for him to heal. Assuncao took to twitter to talk about the nature of his injury.
Because of my injury sustained at UFC 170 (fractured rib) I could NOT take the fight for the title against Barão May 24 UFC 173 I am Sorry!
Hopefully, he can get back in fighting form fairly quickly, as the continued stagnancy at the top of the 135 lb division means that he could still be first in line for the next six months. With Michael McDonald on the shelf (and coming off a loss) and Eddie Wineland and Urijah Faber both coming off recent title losses, there’s a lack of depth in challengers for the title. Most other top 15 fighters still need a fight or two to prove themselves. Assuncao has a window right now, but that window could close if he’s out too long.
It’s a rare day when an injury makes a fight just as good or better than it would have been otherwise. But, I’d argue that this is definitely an exception to the rule. MMAJunkie.com reported on Friday that Tarec Saffiedine has pulled out of his UFC 172 bout against Jake Ellenberger due to injury. The nature of the injury has not been disclosed and a possible time table for his return is still up in the air, pending a doctor’s examination.
Stepping in for Tarec will be recent welterweight title hopefull, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. Lawler was most recently on the losing end of one of the UFC’s best title fights in recent memory, when he to Johny Hendricks to a hard fought five round decision, for Georges St-Pierre’s vacated title. This injury replacement will put Lawler on a slightly accelerated schedule with UFC 173 a mere 8 weeks away. However, it’s an extra month he wouldn’t have had, had the bout remained on the UFC 172 card as originally planned.
Lawler’s opponent, Jake Ellenberger, is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC on Fox 8. The uncharacteristically lackluster performance was compounded by injury woes, as Ellenberger was set to take on Saffiedine as the headliner of UFC Fight Night: Singapore, but was forced from the card with a hamstring injury. Now he’s on the other side of the fence, with Saffiedine forced to withdraw. There’s no word yet if another bout will be found for the UFC 172 card.
Here’s a look at UFC 173, as it stands now:
Main Card Renan Barão vs. T.J. Dillashaw Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic Jake Ellenberger vs. Robbie Lawler Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera Tony Ferguson vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Fox Sports 1 Card James Krause vs. Jamie Varner Michael Chiesa vs. Francisco Trinaldo Chris Holdsworth vs. Kyung Ho Kang Mitch Clarke vs. Al Iaquinta Anthony Njokuani vs. Vinc Pichel
Fight Pass Card Yves Edwards vs. Piotr Hallmann Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia Li Jingliang vs. Danny Mitchell
culturesink 
