Tony
12-08-2009, 08:54
If it wasn’t for bad luck, Strikeforce’s upcoming “Carano vs. Cyborg” (http://www.cagepotato.com/search/node/%22Carano%20vs.%20Cyborg%22) card wouldn’t have any luck at all. Despite the best intentions, some MMA events are destined to be magnets for injuries, unwelcome surprises, and other bizarre occurrences. But which events have been screwed by fate the hardest? Knock on wood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_on_wood), grab your crotch (http://www.slate.com/id/2185740/), and read on…
*****
#10: UFC 67: All Or Nothing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_67#cite_note-2), 2/3/07
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/UFC67.jpg
The aptly-titled “All or Nothing” event was the first UFC pay-per-view in nearly a year to lack a title fight by the time it finally took place. That’s all the more disappointing when you consider that it had two a couple months out from the event, pitting TUF “Comeback” (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/The_Ultimate_Fighter_4:_The_Comeback) winners Matt Serra (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Matt_Serra) and Travis Lutter (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Travis_Lutter) against the champions in their respective weight classes.
The first title fight went down the drain when Georges St. Pierre (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Georges_St._Pierre) injured his knee during training and had to put off the fight with Serra (and we all remember how that went when it finally happened). Fortunately they still had Anderson Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Anderson_Silva) vs. Travis Lutter (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Travis_Lutter) to fall back on…right? Only Lutter failed to make weight for his title shot, downgrading his “Rocky” storyline to a “Bad News Bears” one. Instead they just had themselves a normal old three-rounder, with Lutter holding his own in the first round before getting triangled/elbowed to death in the second. What fun.
#9: UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/UFC_98), 5/23/09
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/ufc98posterds.jpg
The event that famously launched “the Machida Era” (http://www.cagepotato.com/eras-mma-part-3-modern-age) only included Lyoto as a last resort. Originally, the card was to be headlined by the heavyweight title scrap between Brock Lesnar (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Brock_Lesnar) and Frank Mir (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Frank_Mir), until Mir informed the UFC that he was still recovering from knee surgery (http://www.cagepotato.com/update-frank-mir%E2%80%99s-camp-asked-ufc-not-announce-lesnar-fight-ufc-98). The main event was then changed to a light-heavyweight title fight between Rashad Evans (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Rashad_Evans) and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Quinton_Jackson), but Jackson — who had just gone the distance with Keith Jardine two months earlier (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/UFC_96) — bowed out due to lingering hand and jaw injuries (http://www.cagepotato.com/quinton-jacksons-hand-injured-evans-vs-machida-may-be-done-deal). And so, the UFC decided to give a well-deserved light-heavyweight title shot to that weird Brazilian guy with the unibrow (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Lyoto_Machida).
If you’re Rashad Evans, that would be enough to make this one of the unluckiest fight cards ever. But UFC 98’s string of setbacks extended to the supporting cast as well. Josh Koscheck (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Josh_Koscheck) pulled out of the event due to a broken toe (http://www.cagepotato.com/some-fighters-booked-fight-other-fighters-according-new-reports) and was replaced by Brock Larson; Koscheck’s scheduled opponent, Chris Wilson, missed the show because of incomplete paperwork (http://mmamania.com/2009/05/22/mike-pyle-steps-to-replace-chris-wilson-against-brock-larson-at-ufc-98/). James “Born Under a Bad Sign” Irvin (http://www.cagepotato.com/james-irvin-officially-becomes-most-cursed-fighter-mma-history) suffered one of his many knee injuries and was replaced by Xavier Foupa-Pokam (http://www.cagepotato.com/%E2%80%9Cprofessor-x%E2%80%9D-knows-how-stay-relevant-ufc). Yushin Okami (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Yushin_Okami) also went down with a dodgy knee (http://www.cagepotato.com/yushin-okami-officially-ufc%E2%80%99s-unluckiest-fighter) and was replaced by Chael Sonnen. And finally, hard-luck-case Houston Alexander (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Houston_Alexander) broke his hand during training (http://www.cagepotato.com/houston-alexander-keeps-ufc-98-injury-curse-alive) and was replaced by Krzysztof Soszynski. Later, it was discovered that the MGM Grand Garden Arena had been built on an Indian burial ground.
#8: PRIDE 32: The Real Deal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRIDE_32), 10/21/06
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/pride_poster_final_ver4_sc.jpg
PRIDE's first trip to the United States hit some turbulence right from the start. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mirko_Filipovic) was unable to compete due to a lingering foot injury, and Wanderlei Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Wanderlei_Silva) was barred from competing by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to the fact that he had just gotten his head kicked in by Cro Cop at PRIDE's Open Weight Grand Prix finals (http://www.cagepotato.com/10-greatest-one-night-tournament-performances-mma-history) the previous month. Then, an odd super-heavyweight match between Mark Hunt (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mark_Hunt) and Butterbean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Esch) was canceled because the NSAC felt that Hunt would have an "unfair mat advantage" (http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/ten-things-that-need-to-change-in-mixed-martial-arts-6130); Hunt was replaced by pro wrestler Sean O'Haire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_O%27Haire). And so, an epically stacked card was downgraded to "pretty good, considering."
But "The Real Deal" may be better remembered for what happened after the fights were over. As mentioned in our steroids timeline (http://www.cagepotato.com/mma-steroid-busts-definitive-timeline), Vitor Belfort (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Vitor_Belfort) tested positive for 4-Hydroxytestosterone, Pawel Nastula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawel_Nastula) pissed dirty for Nandrolone, and Kevin Randleman (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Kevin_Randleman) tried to fool the Nevada State Athletic Commission by submitting a urine sample that either came from a dead person or an animal; his ruse was unsuccessful. The busts gave more support to the belief that steroid use was widespread in PRIDE, and fighters were getting away with it only because of the notoriously lax testing policies in Japan. Still, PRIDE brushed its shoulders off and redeemed itself four months later with another card held at the same venue in Nevada. And this time, only Nick Diaz tested positive for banned substances (http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3540&zoneid=13).
#7: UFC: Fight For The Troops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC:_Fight_for_the_Troops), 12/10/08
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/UFC_Fight_For_Troops_poster.jpg
Rarely has there been a charity event that seemed like such a good idea at the outset, but wound up being so sadly ironic by the time it was all over. UFC’s “Fight For The Troops” (http://www.cagepotato.com/30k-bonuses-doled-out-fight-troops) was a benefit show for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund, raising money to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for members of military wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event reportedly raised over $4 million for a new medical center, and it provided hours of entertainment to the military members in attendance that night in Fayetteville, N.C. The only people who didn’t make out so well were the fighters.
It wasn’t your usual cursed event as Brian Stann (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Brian_Stann) and Frankie Edgar (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Frankie_Edgar) were the only two fighters forced to pull out of this event with injuries beforehand, but chances are they were glad they did. Five fighters ended up in the hospital that night, and of the seven bouts aired on Spike TV, four saw serious injuries. On the undercard, lightweight Corey Hill (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Corey_Hill) suffered a gruesome broken leg (http://www.cagepotato.com/most-injury-riddled-card-ever) after a low kick attempt that left his foot dangling off his shin like an empty sock.
Brandon Wolff (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Brandon_Wolff) got eye-poked and then kneed into oblivion by Ben Saunders (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Ben_Saunders). Razak Al-Hassan (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Razak_Al-Hassan) refused to tap to a Steve Cantwell (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Steve_Cantwell) armbar and the whole arena watched as his elbow turned into Silly Putty (http://www.cagepotato.com/steve-cantwell-admits-he-got-little-carried-away). Jonathan Goulet (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Jonathan_Goulet) and Yoshiyuki Yoshida (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Yoshiyuki_Yoshida) both suffered ugly, concussion-inducing knockouts, with Yoshida’s looking all the more frightening the longer he lay motionless on the mat afterwards.
In the end, everyone has or is at least expected to make a full recovery, and $4 million is still $4 million. That said, let’s hope the UFC never does an event to benefit testicular cancer research.
*****
#10: UFC 67: All Or Nothing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_67#cite_note-2), 2/3/07
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/UFC67.jpg
The aptly-titled “All or Nothing” event was the first UFC pay-per-view in nearly a year to lack a title fight by the time it finally took place. That’s all the more disappointing when you consider that it had two a couple months out from the event, pitting TUF “Comeback” (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/The_Ultimate_Fighter_4:_The_Comeback) winners Matt Serra (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Matt_Serra) and Travis Lutter (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Travis_Lutter) against the champions in their respective weight classes.
The first title fight went down the drain when Georges St. Pierre (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Georges_St._Pierre) injured his knee during training and had to put off the fight with Serra (and we all remember how that went when it finally happened). Fortunately they still had Anderson Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Anderson_Silva) vs. Travis Lutter (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Travis_Lutter) to fall back on…right? Only Lutter failed to make weight for his title shot, downgrading his “Rocky” storyline to a “Bad News Bears” one. Instead they just had themselves a normal old three-rounder, with Lutter holding his own in the first round before getting triangled/elbowed to death in the second. What fun.
#9: UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/UFC_98), 5/23/09
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/ufc98posterds.jpg
The event that famously launched “the Machida Era” (http://www.cagepotato.com/eras-mma-part-3-modern-age) only included Lyoto as a last resort. Originally, the card was to be headlined by the heavyweight title scrap between Brock Lesnar (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Brock_Lesnar) and Frank Mir (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Frank_Mir), until Mir informed the UFC that he was still recovering from knee surgery (http://www.cagepotato.com/update-frank-mir%E2%80%99s-camp-asked-ufc-not-announce-lesnar-fight-ufc-98). The main event was then changed to a light-heavyweight title fight between Rashad Evans (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Rashad_Evans) and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Quinton_Jackson), but Jackson — who had just gone the distance with Keith Jardine two months earlier (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/UFC_96) — bowed out due to lingering hand and jaw injuries (http://www.cagepotato.com/quinton-jacksons-hand-injured-evans-vs-machida-may-be-done-deal). And so, the UFC decided to give a well-deserved light-heavyweight title shot to that weird Brazilian guy with the unibrow (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Lyoto_Machida).
If you’re Rashad Evans, that would be enough to make this one of the unluckiest fight cards ever. But UFC 98’s string of setbacks extended to the supporting cast as well. Josh Koscheck (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Josh_Koscheck) pulled out of the event due to a broken toe (http://www.cagepotato.com/some-fighters-booked-fight-other-fighters-according-new-reports) and was replaced by Brock Larson; Koscheck’s scheduled opponent, Chris Wilson, missed the show because of incomplete paperwork (http://mmamania.com/2009/05/22/mike-pyle-steps-to-replace-chris-wilson-against-brock-larson-at-ufc-98/). James “Born Under a Bad Sign” Irvin (http://www.cagepotato.com/james-irvin-officially-becomes-most-cursed-fighter-mma-history) suffered one of his many knee injuries and was replaced by Xavier Foupa-Pokam (http://www.cagepotato.com/%E2%80%9Cprofessor-x%E2%80%9D-knows-how-stay-relevant-ufc). Yushin Okami (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Yushin_Okami) also went down with a dodgy knee (http://www.cagepotato.com/yushin-okami-officially-ufc%E2%80%99s-unluckiest-fighter) and was replaced by Chael Sonnen. And finally, hard-luck-case Houston Alexander (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Houston_Alexander) broke his hand during training (http://www.cagepotato.com/houston-alexander-keeps-ufc-98-injury-curse-alive) and was replaced by Krzysztof Soszynski. Later, it was discovered that the MGM Grand Garden Arena had been built on an Indian burial ground.
#8: PRIDE 32: The Real Deal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRIDE_32), 10/21/06
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/pride_poster_final_ver4_sc.jpg
PRIDE's first trip to the United States hit some turbulence right from the start. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mirko_Filipovic) was unable to compete due to a lingering foot injury, and Wanderlei Silva (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Wanderlei_Silva) was barred from competing by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to the fact that he had just gotten his head kicked in by Cro Cop at PRIDE's Open Weight Grand Prix finals (http://www.cagepotato.com/10-greatest-one-night-tournament-performances-mma-history) the previous month. Then, an odd super-heavyweight match between Mark Hunt (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Mark_Hunt) and Butterbean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Esch) was canceled because the NSAC felt that Hunt would have an "unfair mat advantage" (http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/ten-things-that-need-to-change-in-mixed-martial-arts-6130); Hunt was replaced by pro wrestler Sean O'Haire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_O%27Haire). And so, an epically stacked card was downgraded to "pretty good, considering."
But "The Real Deal" may be better remembered for what happened after the fights were over. As mentioned in our steroids timeline (http://www.cagepotato.com/mma-steroid-busts-definitive-timeline), Vitor Belfort (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Vitor_Belfort) tested positive for 4-Hydroxytestosterone, Pawel Nastula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawel_Nastula) pissed dirty for Nandrolone, and Kevin Randleman (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Kevin_Randleman) tried to fool the Nevada State Athletic Commission by submitting a urine sample that either came from a dead person or an animal; his ruse was unsuccessful. The busts gave more support to the belief that steroid use was widespread in PRIDE, and fighters were getting away with it only because of the notoriously lax testing policies in Japan. Still, PRIDE brushed its shoulders off and redeemed itself four months later with another card held at the same venue in Nevada. And this time, only Nick Diaz tested positive for banned substances (http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3540&zoneid=13).
#7: UFC: Fight For The Troops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC:_Fight_for_the_Troops), 12/10/08
http://cdn.cagepotato.com/www/sites/default/files/UFC_Fight_For_Troops_poster.jpg
Rarely has there been a charity event that seemed like such a good idea at the outset, but wound up being so sadly ironic by the time it was all over. UFC’s “Fight For The Troops” (http://www.cagepotato.com/30k-bonuses-doled-out-fight-troops) was a benefit show for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund, raising money to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for members of military wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event reportedly raised over $4 million for a new medical center, and it provided hours of entertainment to the military members in attendance that night in Fayetteville, N.C. The only people who didn’t make out so well were the fighters.
It wasn’t your usual cursed event as Brian Stann (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Brian_Stann) and Frankie Edgar (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Frankie_Edgar) were the only two fighters forced to pull out of this event with injuries beforehand, but chances are they were glad they did. Five fighters ended up in the hospital that night, and of the seven bouts aired on Spike TV, four saw serious injuries. On the undercard, lightweight Corey Hill (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Corey_Hill) suffered a gruesome broken leg (http://www.cagepotato.com/most-injury-riddled-card-ever) after a low kick attempt that left his foot dangling off his shin like an empty sock.
Brandon Wolff (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Brandon_Wolff) got eye-poked and then kneed into oblivion by Ben Saunders (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Ben_Saunders). Razak Al-Hassan (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Razak_Al-Hassan) refused to tap to a Steve Cantwell (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Steve_Cantwell) armbar and the whole arena watched as his elbow turned into Silly Putty (http://www.cagepotato.com/steve-cantwell-admits-he-got-little-carried-away). Jonathan Goulet (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Jonathan_Goulet) and Yoshiyuki Yoshida (http://wiki.cagepotato.com/index.php/Yoshiyuki_Yoshida) both suffered ugly, concussion-inducing knockouts, with Yoshida’s looking all the more frightening the longer he lay motionless on the mat afterwards.
In the end, everyone has or is at least expected to make a full recovery, and $4 million is still $4 million. That said, let’s hope the UFC never does an event to benefit testicular cancer research.