UFC 129 resulted in medical suspensions of at least two weeks for every fighter who competed on this historical mixed martial arts card in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 30 due to visible or suspected injuries, according to the Ontario Athletics Commissioner.
Since the severity of the injury determines the length of the medical suspension, seven of the 24 UFC 129 fighters will be sidelined for two months to ensure proper healing. Additionally, four fighters with minor injuries will have to take a training break for 45 and 30 days respectively. The other 13 fighters who competed on Saturday will have to sit out for the next two weeks even if they did not suffer any visible injuries in order to rule out any underlying issues.
In spite of his decision-win UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre leads the list of medical suspensions with two months due to the eye injury he sustained when former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields allegedly scratched his cornea during a punch. St-Pierre will have to be cleared by an ophthalmologist before he can return to action.
Not surprisingly, Mark Hominick also hit the jackpot when it comes to UFC 129 medical suspensions with his 2-months long layoff due to the huge hematoma he suffered on his right forehead after five rounds of battering by UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo. Hominick will also need to be cleared with a CT scan before he can get back to the gym. The cut under his left eye apparently did not require stitches and should heal on its own during his training break. At least he can feel good about keeping Aldo out of the gym for a month due to the lacerations he inflicted with his ground-and-pound finale.
UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture really does not need to worry about his 2-months long suspension since UFC 129 was his retirement party, so to speak. He will, however, need to see a dentist to have the tooth replaced that former UFC Lightheavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida kicked out with his impressive crane kick a la The Karate Kid. If Couture happens to have a change of heart and wants to return to the octagon at the end of his training break he will need to get a CT scan first.
Who would have thought that 20 seconds can have such a big impact on Jason Brilz' life as he now has to stay out of the gym for two month due to vicious KO by Vladimir Matyushenko at 0:20 in round one. Needless to say, he will also need a CT scan before he can take on his next opponent.
Charlie Valencia lasted a little longer than Brilz, but ultimately suffered a similar fate with a TKO-loss against Ivan Menjivar at 1:30 in round one. As a result, he will also have to sit out for two months and get a CT scan before returning to action.
Sean Pearson will also need a CT scan after a mandatory 2-months long training break due to his KO-loss against Jake Ellenberger at 2:42 in round one. Ellenberger's knockout-power apparently had a price tag attached to it as he will be out for 45 days due to a possible hand injury that requires X-rays.
Kyle Watson went down in style when John Makdessi knocked him out with a spinning back fist at 1:27 in round three. Watson will have to let the laceration under his left eye heal up during his 2-months-long training break, then get cleared by a CT scan before trying his luck in the cage again.
Mark Bocek and Nate Diaz will be out 30 and 45 days respectively due to lacerations suffered at UFC 129. Neither fighter needs any follow-up clearance, though.
Comments