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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The injury bug isn't exclusive to the UFC, though the latest high profile bow-out can still be attributed to the organization. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir has suffered an injury, which has forced him out of his November 3 bout in Strikeforce against Daniel Cormier.
Word of the injury began spreading on Twitter late Tuesday night, stemming from an online news show Sports Rage (@sportsrage), and a report from MMAJunkie.com has since confirmed the news. According to the report, a knee injury is the likely culprit.
Mir took the bout - the first and only UFC-Strikeforce crossover fight in Strikeforce - in an attempt to bounce back from a loss to Junior dos Santos in May. Now, his return to action will be delayed, and he left Strikeforce and the UFC scrambling to figure out their next move.
As of this time, Cormier has not received a replacement opponent. The former Olympic wrestler won the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix in June, defeating Josh Barnett by decision in one of the best fights of the year.
The new agreement between Strikeforce and Showtime necessitated one more fight for Cormier in the organization before transitioning over to the UFC. With Mir out, matchmakers could potentially bring another fighter over from the UFC, but there's no word on that just yet.
Penick's Analysis: This injury issue is getting out of hand this year, and it could very well lead to a lack in fan confidence affecting ticket sales in a major way. Of course all fight cards are "subject to change," but that has never been as true as it has been this year. Still, the fact that so many major fights - main events, main card fights, etc. - have been lost this year will make people wary of buying tickets for the fights that are advertised. Pay-per-view is different, because it only requires a purchase the night of the fight, but ticket sales to live events are likely to decline when fans aren't sure whether the fight they pay for is going to be the fight they get. As for Cormier, I don't know what they do now for this fight. Most of the UFC's heavyweights are booked, and there isn't much in the way of options outside of the organization. This is a tough spot for them, and a really unfortunate loss as this fight was definitely anticipated.
[Frank Mir art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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