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Hey, my guys and ghouls! In this edition of the Injury Report, we get into why Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk was delayed again.
Eye See You, Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury (eye)
In the words of English Grammy-award-winning singer Adele, we could have had it all. We were days away from Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, a fight originally scheduled for this past December. That was until Fury ran into Francis Ngannou, who gave him a tougher fight than he expected, so he needed a few more months to get ready for Usyk.
Fast forward to February, and everything was fine. Fury and Usyk were nearing the end of their training camps when something happened. On Friday, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported that Fury suffered a cut during a sparring session, forcing his fight with Usyk to get delayed again. The reaction was swift, with most fans and fighters expressing disappointment in yet another deterrent.
After the report, Team Fury shared a photo of the cut. It is indeed a fight delayer, especially when you consider its size and site. Here is the cut:
Here is how it happened:
As disappointing as it is to have Fury vs. Usyk delayed, at least we have a new date to anticipate (or dread, depending on how cynical you are about this fight happening). These two are now scheduled to fight on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fingers crossed nothing else gets in the way of Fury vs. Usyk.
Jamaine Ortiz (eye)
Though it was not an exciting fight, most thought Jamaine Ortiz should have got the win against Teofimo Lopez this past Thursday. The ’Technician’ was exactly that — technical. His approach frustrated Lopez, who failed to cut off the ring and connect with significant punches. That said, Ortiz found himself on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards, losing to Lopez via decision.
To add insult to injury, Ortiz suffered a gruesome cut atop of his left eye, which was the result of an accidental clash of heads.
Checkin In’ with the UFC
Renato ‘Money’ Moicano (eye)
After more than a year away from the Octagon, Renato Moicano returned at UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov, where he earned a win against Drew Dober this past Saturday. Of course, Moicano found success on the ground, controlling Dober throughout most of the fight. However, there was a moment when Dober had the upper hand against ‘Money,’ who suffered a cut after an accidental clash of heads.
The canvas went from white to red as blood poured from Moicano.
Makhmud Muradov (eye)
There were a few eye pokes at UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov, but none were as brutal as the one Makhmud Muradov suffered. Within the first ten or so seconds of his fight against Aliaskhab Khizriev, ‘Mach’ got poked. He fell to the canvas, and though he tried to address his eye during the pause, there was no way he could continue. When the camera panned to him, the eye was already closed.
A few days after, Muradov visited with an optometrist. He said the eye is ‘fine,’ but he does need some time to recover.
Diana Belbita (arm)
Diana Belbita avoided some serious damage to her arm after her most recent Octagon appearance. In a rematch against Molly McCann (at a new weight class!), the ‘Warrior Princess’ suffered her second loss to McCann. This time, though, ‘Meatball’ tapped Belbita with an armbar.
While there was concern Belbita broke her arm (you could see a clear pop as McCann cranked), Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports reported that there was no break in her CT scan.
Bare Knuckle Bruisin’
Derek Perez (face)
After a fast (and near fight-ending) start, Derek Perez suffered a loss to Ryan Reber at BKFC 57 this Friday.
Ouch Championship
Punmongkol Sor.Mongkolkarnchang (eye)
I watched ONE Friday Fights 51 while I touched up the Injury Report. Guess what I caught? This cut on Punmongkol Sor.Mongkolkarnchang.
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