Mixed martial arts is a collectively tough ballgame which thrives on the ‘endurance and longevity’ quotient. In a sport where two opponents beat each other to a pulp, employing a barrage of punches, kicks, submission holds and takedowns, the risk of injuries is colossal! There have been instances where fights have been stalled for several months at a stretch, allowing room for fighters to shrug off the looming silhouettes of bygone injuries, Here are 5 UFC fighters, notorious for pulling out of fights:
#5 Matt Riddle
Matthew ‘Matt’ Riddle could have arguably been one of the finest welterweight competitors in the business had it not been for his untimely ouster owing to his failed drug test (well, marijuana isn’t a drug, or is it?) Matt Riddle is a fighter who is notorious for pulling out of fights; the statistical total is nine! Yes, there have been nine instances where Matt Riddle has pulled out of fights, citing injury or problems with smoking the green goblin body-bagged as a herb.
At The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, which was held in June 2008, Riddle made his official UFC debut beating fellow castmate Dante Rivera via unanimous decision. Soon after that, Riddle was scheduled to face Ryan Thomas at UFC 91, but a knee injury forced Riddle out of the competition. Back to back injuries on two important occasions, cemented Matt Riddle’s reputation as the one who pulls out of the most fights.
The first happened when he was supposed to face Matt Brown at UFC Live in 2011, as a replacement for an injured Mark Scanlon. However, Riddle picked up an injury resulting in the fight being scrapped. Matt also withdrew from his much-anticipated match against TJ Grant at UFC on Versus 4, courtesy of an injury. He later received the boot from Dana White after he failed two marijuana tests!
#4 Alessio Sakara
Alessio Sakara is another name that deserves mention on this list, courtesy his absconding tactics. Sakara, the Italian brute-force, has been missing in action in several instances. The once upon a time football enthusiast has pulled out on seven occasions in his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The middleweight fight between Sakara and Rivera has been scrapped not once but thrice, smudging all the anticipation and the build-up to what possibly could have been one highly engaging duel. Sakara against Rivera was initially scheduled for UFC 118 in 2010, but Rivera’s injury forced him to pull out of the event.
Sakara played the absconder once again at UFC 122 in Germany when he opted out, citing an illness. The third time wasn’t the charm as Alessio Sakara tore his ACL in training that forced him to pull out yet again at the UFC 133 event, which was already jinxed with injuries and multiple fights had to be called off as a result!
#3 Thiago Tavares
When Thiago Tavares made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in November 2003, he made all the ripples courtesy his highfalutin undefeated record standing at 10-0 in three years. He made an impact immediately after arriving onto the scene, picking up victories against Naoyuki Kotani and Jason Black. However, his UFC career showed signs of ebbing with Thiago pulling out of crucial fights due to injuries.
Also read: 5 funniest faces of MMA fighters getting knocked out
In total, Tavares pulled out of fights on seven instances! His highly anticipated match-up against a returning Nik Lentz was scrapped after the Brazilian was ruled out of the bout with an injury. Much to the dismay of the fans, Lentz could never have his rematch against Tavares, both having fought for a draw at Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night 20 in 2010. Soon after the event, another bout of injury pulled the curtain on what could have been a great match-up between two of the most talented lightweights in the division.
Tavares was all set to go one-on-one with Melvin Guillard at UFC 114, but an elbow hyperextension during training sprayed water over this ambitious match-up, and Tavares was replaced by Waylon Lowe. Tavares was expected to square off against Tony Ferguson on May 5, 2012, at UFC on Fox 3, in place of an injured Dennis Hallman. However, as ill fate would have it, Tavares had to withdraw from the bout with an injury!
#2 Jose Aldo
Notorious for having a history of ‘pull outs’ from critical fights, Jose Aldo is number two on this list of beleaguered mixed martial arts fighters. Aldo, one of the reigning forces in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, has fought only seven times in the promotion since 2011, pulling out of numerous contests through injury.
His first match-up against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 was stalled until five events later because Aldo picked up a rib injury just two weeks before the fight. This wasn’t the only time when Aldo pulled a no-show! He has received enough flak for missing out on five title matches (citing injury); the first of which came in his highly-anticipated debut at UFC 125 when Aldo was set to face Josh Grispi for the inaugural featherweight title fight.
However, Aldo’s injury forced his eviction. The same happened at UFC 149 when his match against Erik Kock for the title got scrapped. Over the years, Aldo has received criticism for faking injuries to avoid fighting, which might seem baseless, but might have some truth concealed in them. One can never be sure.
#1 Cain Velasquez
The top spot goes to none other than the perpetrator of destruction inside the octagon - Cain Velasquez. Though Cain Velasquez has a dominant 14-2 record to his name, he has been trolled on the internet, time and again for “missing fight time” and pulling out of fights.
Velasquez recently pulled out of the UFC 207 event where he was slated to face Fabricio Werdum in a highly anticipated rematch. Rumours had it that the former heavyweight champion had opted out of the fight, something that he denied. In his interviews, Velasquez revealed that he had issues with his sciatic nerve and had already scheduled surgery for his malady, following the fight. A previous encounter between the two at UFC Fight Night 82 was scrapped as well when both Velasquez and Werdum opted out of it.
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