It’s been another fun week in the world of Mixed Martial Arts … for news that is, not necessarily for some of the sport’s competitors.
Scoggins Out / Scoggins In
One day before the this weekend’s UFC 201’s weigh-ins, flyweight Justin Scoggins has been forced to withdraw from his bout vs. Ian McCall.
His body stopped sweating out fluids during his weight cut, apparently still 5-7 lbs from the 126 lbs limit, so he reached out to “Uncle Creepy” to see if he would be willing to a bantamweight bout or a catchweight scrap. No agreement was reached, so Scoggins withdrew from the bout.
Considering the short-list of options for divisional champion Demetrious Johnson, this was a huge bout for Justin. And now, any dreams of fighting for that UFC title have all but vanished.
Detractors will cite that the bout was announced around the 21st of May, giving him more than two months to prepare accordingly. Sympathizers may say an injury could have prevented him from putting in a full-camp.
No matter whose side you are on, the bottom line is this: Scoggins is out of UFC 201 and by all accounts, out of the flyweight division. Look for him to now enter the cobra pit that is the UFC’s bantamweight division. He is young and still has a body that will likely continue to grow, so despite the bad news right now, it’s probably a good thing that this happened to him now.
No Call For McCall
For his part, “Uncle Creepy” knows all too well, the gamble of accepting a catchweight bout. Look no further than his last bout, way back in January of 2015, where he agreed to take on John Lineker. McCall lost that bout via unanimous decision and hasn’t competed since.
Lineker eventually moved up to 135 lbs and has been on a tear. So much so, that there is now talk of him potentially being next in line to take on bantamweight champ, Dominick Cruz.
Do some math, and you can understand why McCall is a tad bitter and not interested in repeating history.
With many wondering if this was going to be the last time we would see McCall in the cage, the answer is … not yet.
He will continue to cut weight, step on the scale and get paid if he makes it. But he’s also made it clear to the organization that he deserves another fight. And soon. As in the UFC 202.
Who knows if it will happen, but McCall’s wish will only be granted if the company decides they can add him to the call. At the time of this writing, Ian has yet to receive a call from the organization.
In other news …
Welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is hoping Robbie Lawler successfully defends his title vs. challenger Tyron Woodley on Saturday night, as it’s “Ruthless” who he wants to fight next. Thompson is a far braver man than I am. Which really isn’t saying much, but hopefully you get my point. The way Robbie is fighting these days, I wouldn’t wish that problem upon anyone.
Pat Barry will not be in Rose Namajunas’ corner this Saturday night. The world is not right. Something is amiss. Fewer things in MMA put a smile on my face than seeing “Hype or Die” lose his marbles cageside. But alas, the couple have mutually decided to allow Rose to do this on our own. They will reconvene after the whole UFC 201 things is done. But honestly, it’s taken the lustre of the experience for me. Pat is one of my favourite characters in this game and it just won’t be the same not seeing him there.
For those who will miss Chad Mendes in the cage for the next two years, we now know why he was suspended. The banned substance he was flagged for from USADA was apparently a peptide in a skin cream he was using to treat plaque psoriasis. He states it wasn’t a steroid or anything anabolic. Note to all fighters: whatever pharmaceutical or concoction thereof your doctor prescribes, check the USADA banned list. This is now getting ridiculous.
On a final note, Evangilsta “Cyborg” Santos underwent seven hours of surgery to fix the cracked skull he suffered in his last bout. Thankfully, all went well and the Brazilian is doing well.
By Showdown Joe Ferraro
