The biggest card of the year delivered in more than one way. Not only were we loaded with plenty of action, but with narratives that will keep us all talking for weeks to come.
Of course the most pressing of those narratives is the knee heard around the world. In the first of three title fights, Petr Yan landed a blatantly illegal knee to the head of Aljamain Sterling, ending the bout early. The bout caused plenty of a stir online with back and forth between the two fighters regarding the legitimacy of the injuries. The Nevada State Athletic Commission seems to have deemed the injuries legitimate and issued Aljamain Sterling a sixty day suspension – which, for the record, is fairly standard for a concussive blow.
Sterling won’t be the only one coming out of a title fight with a layoff. Both Megan Anderson and Israel Adesanya have been handed 180 day suspensions for their injuries in the cage. Anderson appears to have taken damage from the triangle arm bar and punches leading up to it. Her suspension is contingent upon x-rays to the nose and and MRI of the elbow in question. Adesanya on the other hand appears to have damage to his left foot and ankle and will need x-rays there. Each of these suspensions can be lessened by doctor’s clearance.
Full list of medical suspensions:
Jan Blachowicz – 30 days
Israel Adesanya – 180 days or until cleared by left foot and ankle x-ray
Megan Anderson – 180 days or until or until cleared by right elbow MRI and nasal x-ray
Aljamain Sterling – 60 days
Aleksandar Rakic – 180 days or until cleared by right ankle x-ray
Thiago Santos – 21 days
Dominick Cruz – 30 days
Casey Kenney – 30 days
Kyler Phillips – 30 days
Song Yadong – 21 days
Joseph Benavidez – 45 days
Rogerio Bontorin – 45 days
Tim Elliott – 30 days
Jordan Espinosa – 180 days or until cleared by right hand x-ray
Kennedy Nzechukwu – 30 days
Carlos Ulberg – 45 days
Jake Matthews – 30 days
Livia Souza – 45 days
Aalon Cruz – 45 days
Mario Bautista – 45 days
Suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness.
