Fighters not impressed with AC suturing rule at UFC Albany
At UFC 205, the league’s triumphant return to New York, fighters were sutured backstage, as necessary. Unfortunately, at UFC Albany…
At UFC 205, the league’s triumphant return to New York, fighters were sutured backstage, as necessary. Unfortunately, at UFC Albany on Saturday, something went wrong with the usual arrangement, and fighters had to go to the local ER via ambulance, sometimes still in their fight kit, with no wallet or cell phone, and wait for hours.
Marc Raimondi reports for MMA Fighting that Ashley Yoder had to wait two to three hours to get her stitches done. Ryan Janes, who fought second on the card, did not make it back to the arena until the event was over, taking some four hours in all.
“We had to go straight there and the hospitals are terrible,” said Yoder’s jiu-jitsu coach Ricardo Feliciano. “They made us wait a long time, they didn’t care.”
“The New York State Athletic Commission physicians provide care for emergency, and potentially, life-threatening conditions,” said NYSAC spokesperson Laz Benitez in a statement. “This does not typically include suturing. Combatants may receive suturing care at the venue from a New York State-licensed medical professional should the promoter enter into an agreement for the provision of suturing care, or otherwise seek treatment at a medical facility.”
The issue was first raised by Rob Tatum of Combat Press.
https://twitter.com/RobTatumMMA/status/807423654690750464
Why on-site suturing was available at UFC 205 and not at UFC Fight Night 102 is not clear.
Light heavyweight Gian Villante suffered an odder incident still. After his fight with Saparbek Safarov, Villante told a fight doc that he had been hiccuping all week. While hiccups are ordinarily the most minor, passing nuisance, they can be a sign of more serious conditions. Villante was told to go to the hospital.
His ELG was not normal, which he attributed to just having fought. The fighter said he asked if he could leave and premission was granted.
He went to a bar to celebrate with his friends like a normal person, but got a call from UFC president Dana White at 3:00 a.m. telling him to return to the hospital. He did so and took further tests including another CT Scan, and was eventually again told he could leave. He said if he had not returned, he would have faced a suspension by the commission.
“The New York athletic commission sucks,” Villante said. “It was a f***ing nightmare.”
Due to patient confidentiality laws, the commission was prohibited from commenting on Villante’s medical care.
