Issue 103

July 2013

With four UFC events in four weeks, April was a busy month for the world’s largest MMA promotion. While there were highlights and lowlights on all four cards, a few moments proved most memorable for me and provided valuable lessons for us all as an MMA community.

The month started with the UFC’s return to Sweden, which will forever be remembered for the Swedish MMA Federation’s decision to remove Alexander Gustafsson from the headlining bout just four days before the sold-out event. 

By now the story has been well told, Gustafsson suffered a cut in training and his management team consulted the commission for advice, which ultimately led to doctors ruling the light heavyweight medically ineligible for the contest.

I don’t mean for this to be an attack on the Swedish commission. To the contrary, I find Swedish MMA Federation president George Sallfeldt to be an intelligent, rational individual with both the sport and its fighters’ best interests in mind. But I think he made a mistake in his handling of Gustafsson’s wound.

Despite the fact many fighters have in the past entered contests after suffering similar cuts by simply not disclosing the incident, I certainly don’t think we should encourage fighters to hide anything from athletic commissions. However, I would encourage Sweden’s commission, as well as those throughout the world, to take a more patient wait-and-see approach in this type of situation. 

The fight did not need to be canceled four days ahead of time, especially when medical inspections do not typically take place until the day before the fight. That would have provided an additional three days for the cut to close. 

While the Swedish commission issued a statement that explained the cut could not have been more than 10% healed by that time, I can personally attest the wound passed the eyeball test less than 24 hours after the commission’s decision to scrap the event. Let the UFC have a replacement option on hand just in case Friday comes and the fighter still needs to be pulled, but don’t make the decision before it’s absolutely necessary.

And ultimately, this was a cut – not a knee injury requiring surgery, such as the one with which Gegard Mousasi was allowed to compete. Gustafsson’s replacement opponent, Ilir Latifi, needed to cut nearly 30lb in four days – not exactly a safe proposition for any athlete. Yet it was the man with a cut who was ruled out of the fight. 

While I was in Stockholm for the event, I heard from Swedish fans who were concerned the UFC would never return to the country because of this issue. I do not believe that will be the case. The market is too strong for the UFC, and the country’s passion for the sport is evident. But I hope the Swedish commission, not to mention others around the world, can learn from this event.

RUN THE WORLD… GIRLS!

Ironically, the UFC’s return to Sweden was expected to feature a women’s bout between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano, but UFC exec Garry Cook believed the card was not a good fit for the matchup, and it was pushed back to the following week’s The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale event. Sweden’s loss was Las Vegas’ gain.

The second women’s bout in UFC history proved every bit as entertaining as the first, and both Zingano and Tate went toe-to-toe from the opening bell of their main-card matchup. Ultimately, Zingano was crowned the victor with a stunning third-round comeback finish of the incredibly durable Tate, who professed her desire to keep fighting despite having her face bloodied by a series of thunderous knees.

Through social media, internet message boards and the like, I often see fans who suggest they’re not interested in watching women’s MMA because the athletes aren’t skilled, the technique not as refined, the action not as intense. I call shenanigans on all of those claims. 

Between UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s victory over Liz Carmouche, Zingano’s thrilling victory over Tate and the efforts of the 50 women who showed up two days after to try out for The Ultimate Fighter 18, female fighters are currently taking a massive portion of the UFC’s spotlight, and I say for a very good reason. 

UFC president Dana White, the man who once said he’d ‘never’ allow women in the Octagon, has also taken notice. “At the last fighter meeting, when I talk to the fighters and let them know what we hope to see, I said, ‘I’m not even talking to the girls. You guys are excluded from this conversation. You always put on exciting fights,’” White told Fighters Only. “And again they delivered.”

And it looks like they’ll continue to deliver. Fighting with a chip on their shoulder and trying to prove to the world they are every bit as capable as the men, women fighters continue to impress. Here’s hoping the doubt goes away and that every market is soon considered suitable for the division.

By John Morgan, former Fighters Only World MMA Awards ‘Journalist of the Year’.