Injuries are a part of sports. But it’s never easy to see an athlete suffer one.
Beyond the sight of it, there’s the thought of their progress being halted. There’s also the question of how that will impact their mental state. We aren’t talking about fight-inflicted injuries, like a broken jaw from a punch or a limp from a leg lock – we’re talking freak injuries that happened out of nowhere.
The high-impact nature of mixed martial arts means these things happen often. They can happen much more often than in other sports. But no one expected two of them in two main events.
UFC Fight Night 208 Ended in Disaster
This past weekend, the UFC came to us from the O2 Arena in London, and had a solid main card after decent prelims. The main opener saw former UFC light heavyweight title contender Volkan Oezdemir score a decision over Paul Craig in a classic striker vs. grappler matchup. Nikita Krylov spoiled the return of Alexander Gustafsson, while hometown heroes Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett delighted the crowd with their wins.
But the main event was an anti-climactic one, as surging prospect Tom Aspinall suffered a freak leg injury seconds into his bout with divisional elite Curtis Blaydes. It was a huge heartbreak for Aspinall and the local fans who came to see him – and it was also the second main event injury in as many weeks.
On July 16 at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, the main card offered some solid action with a big win for Li Jingliang and a thrilling comeback by Matt Schnell that could be a Fight of the Year and Comeback of the Year contender.
But the main event was cut short when Brian Ortega injured his shoulder in the first round of his fight with Yair Rodriguez. We wish a speedy recovery to both Ortega and Aspinall.
We don’t know anything about these athletes’ preparation, but what could be causing this sudden string of injuries? Is it pure coincidence? Or are fighters pushing themselves too hard toward greatness? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.