Dana White wants to re-assure everyone that this was actually good news, as it means Rua’s knee is healing the way it should.
Which is all well and good, but what’s the UFC going to do with this division in the interim?
The precedent thus far would indicate that the long lay-off will result in an Interim Championship being rewarded, followed by a unification match when (or – God forbid – if) Rua returns to action. We most recently saw this when Shane Carwin knocked out Frank Mir to win the Interim Heavyweight Championship (the unification bout with rightful Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar occurs this Saturday).
Unlike the heavyweight division, however, there are few fighters that could be considered clear contenders. Each potential fighter presents his own unique logistical problems.
South Carolina’s guidelines require a physical and eye exam prior to the event and documentation to prove a competitor is negative for HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
The MMA Legislation currently fighting to get through State Government in New York does require that all facilities training competitors in preparation for a professional fight be licensed by the State. As far as I can tell, South Carolina does not have such a provision. If it does, there’s a serious question of enforcement.
Kirkham (left) was nicknamed "Tree" due to his unusually tall and gaunt frame. (Picture: MySpace.com)
Michael Kirkman, a 6’9″ native of Gaston, S.C. who fought at lightweight, has passed away following injuries sustained from a mixed Professional and Amateur fight card in Aiken, South Carolina at the age of 30.
The event was overseen and sanctioned by the South Carolina State Athletic Commission.
Kirkham is believed to have died as a result of a brain hemorrhage he received during his fight on Saturday night, which he lost due to referee stoppage after he was mounted and hit with strikes.
After not regaining consciousness in the cage, Kirkham was taken to a local hospital where he was put on life support. He succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, with doctors at the hospital confirming that he had not regained consciousness while under their care.
Kirkham entered the fight with an amateur record of 3 wins and 3 losses. He had recently posted on his MySpace page that he had sufficient medical clearance and was willing to take a fight anywhere. According to that same profile, good friend and training partner Brett Lee had recently passed away on March 10th. Lee’s cause of death was undisclosed.
Kirkham’s death is only the second to occur as the result of a sanctioned MMA bout. In 2007, Sammy Vasquez passed away after being on life support for 42 days after a professional MMA bout.
An autopsy will be performed on Tuesday.
Kirkham ran his own training academy and did not appear to have, or disclose, any formal training in combat sports.
Kirkham leaves behind a wife and children. My deepest condolences to them and all Kirkham’s loved ones during what must be an unspeakably tragic time for them.
The biggest upset of the year. Scratch that, the decade.
Some time ago, I controversially stated that I considered Fedor Emelianenko no better than the #5 Heavyweight in the World. I maintain that rankings are an arbitrary practice that should only be treated as a discussion-starter rather than an argument-ender. To that end, part of my motivation was to see what kind of reaction I would get to putting Fedor in the middle of the pack. My reasoning, though, was sincere: he hadn’t looked good against a low-ranked Heavyweight and, in recent years, had only managed to beat wash-outs.
That said, Fabricio Werdum submitting Fedor with a triangle choke is one of the biggest upsets this sport will ever see, even to someone who didn’t buy that “The Last Emperor” was the same fighter he was five years ago.
If you’ll pardon the cliche, it marks the definitive end of an era for the Heavyweight Division.
Now we find ourselves in a new age, where more and more men throughout the world are finding out about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and plying their trade. Athletes from all walks of life are seeing the financial opportunities, bringing with them varying styles and a level of depth never before seen in this weight class.
Until tonight, most heavyweight fighters were either terrorized by the Russian bulldozer or haunted by him. Those who could not fight him for contractual reasons – such as UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar – could only be considered at best the #1 Heavyweight not named Fedor. Tonight, that wraith was exorcised by Werdum’s triangle choke.
What the future holds for Fedor and Strikeforce is anyone’s guess. It was more than just a legitimate loss on his record. Strikeforce lost its superfight between Fedor and Overeem. M-1 has lost its meal ticket and sole bargaining tool. Brett Rogers has lost the claim to fame to be the only man in recent years to put Fedor on the proverbial ropes. The only real winner seems to be Dana White and the UFC, who can now smugly display their “I told you so” smiles while MMA pundits and Fedor enthusiasts implode.
Yahoo’s Kevin Iole reports that after further investigation, it was the opinion of multiple doctors that the lesion on Matt Hamill’s back that created so much controversy (particularly amongst yours truly) was hardened to the point that it presented no danger to the other fighters.
Please see the link below for full information, including a video link to an in-depth conversation on the subject between Kevin Iole and CageWriter’s Steve Cofield.
I’m a bit embarrassed that I jumped the gun so quickly on this issue, but I’m glad that Iole and Cofield dug deep and fully addressed all the concerns that were raised by that goddamn thing on Hamill’s back.
I still wouldn’t fight anyone with a big hole in their back. Just sayin’.
This Saturday is the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum event from the HP Pavilion Arena in San Jose headlined – of course – by consensus greatest heavyweight of all time Fedor Emelianenko taking on former UFC heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum.
It’s an odd match and an obvious placeholder until they can put the fight together between Fedor and the promotion’s Heavyweight champion (the belt Fedor carries is the WAMMA Heavyweight Title – don’t ask), Alistair Overeem.
The card also features a rematch between Cung Le and Scott Smith, and Women’s 145 pound Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos being fed a fighter with a record of 8-7 that usually fights at 135.
Ben Fowlkes, who I consider one of the 4 Horsemen of MMA Reporting (with CageWriter’s Maggie Hendricks & Steve Cofield and MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani), has joined the crew of Spike’s UltimateFighter.com as a regular columnist.
Ben’s a great addition to the team. I’ve been following him since his days at CagePotato.com, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a guy writing about sports with a more disarming wit. He also exudes legitimate passion and dedication to what he’s covering without being snarky and bratty about it, which is a balance not often achieved in the world of sports journalism and editorials.
The latest from Michael David Smith at MMAFighting.com comes from Hamill’s manager, who explained that Commission doctors determined the boil on his back wouldn’t pose a threat to any of the competitors and that it had sufficiently healed and hardened. From the article:
“The doctors and the Commission were aware and repeatedly examined the red mark on Matt’s back,” Holmes told me. “They concluded that it was healing and hardened to the point that it posed no threat to Matt or anyone else inside the Octagon.”
Now, this is going to come from a completely amateur opinion, but healing and “healed” aren’t the same, and it was obvious from watching the fight on Saturday that the wound, while not showing any noticeable draining at the time, was not closed.
I’m curious if the doctor(s) who examined Hamill could confidently say there no possibility of the wound re-opening, particularly since after the fight the wound looked even worse than it did at the weigh-ins and was clearly still infected. And, according to Hamill’s own admission, yet to be treated with anti-biotics.
Bottom line is that there’s still a lot of doubt in my mind, as well as in the mind of others, that every precaution was taken to ensure the safety of the fighters. The Commission needs to come forth on this issue, and they need to do so sooner rather than later.
At the Ultimate Fighter Finale on Saturday evening, the greatest danger to fighter safety didn’t come from a punch, kick, throw, or any other maneuver.
Matt Hamill, a former competitor on the television show whose success in MMA despite being deaf has gained him a multitude of followers, entered into his Light Heavyweight contest with Keith Jardine sporting a strange mark on the bottom of his back. Speculation was rampant on the internet until after the fight, where he revealed to MMAFighting.com‘s Ben Fowlkes that he had acquired a staph infection.
Initially, I disregarded the cries of disbelief. There was simply no way that an Athletic Commission official would allow someone with an open staph infection to compete in the Octagon. I reminded several folks that after a few days of anti-biotics, the infection is no longer contagious and would not pose a threat to fighters. It was my assumption that something along those lines was the case, and that there was a logical explanation for what we were hearing.
Then, at the post-fight press conference, Hamill revealed that he would not be starting his regiment of anti-biotics until the next day. Even more shockingly, it was revealed by Keith Kizer (the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission) that the Commission’s appointed physician was not only aware of Hamill’s condition, but gave him the green light to compete.
This decision put the health and potentially the lives of Keith Jardine and the two fighters competing afterwards in very real danger.
