GSP injures knee, Condit fight postponed, UFC 137 main event now Diaz vs. Penn
Georges St. Pierre has suffered a knee injury and will not fight Carlos Condit at UFC 137 on Oct. 29…
Georges St. Pierre has suffered a knee injury and will not fight Carlos Condit at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC president Dana White delivered the news via twitter:
I just land in NYC and what do I always say!? I have to deal with bad shit everyday!! GSP is out with an injury!!! It’s GSP’S knee. We will sit Carlos to wait for GSP. It’s looking so far like he could be ready in a couple months. Still early to tell tho
Condit will not face an alternate opponent, but rather the fight is postponed unitl an at this moment unknown date.
In an unusual episode that saw Nick Diaz set to face GSP for the title only to be removed for failing to meet media responsibilities and ultimately matched on the same card vs BJ Penn, Diaz vs. Penn is now the UFC 137 main event.
Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta provided detail on the injury ot the LA Times:
St-Pierre was hurt in training camp Saturday in Montreal. Fertitta said St-Pierre’s medial collateral ligament is not torn and he’ll be out four-to-six weeks.
Trainer Firas Zahabi details how the injury occured.
St-Pierre sprawled on a sparring partner’s takedown attempt, trainer Firas Zahabi today told MMAjunkie.com. When the champ circled away, the injury became apparent.
“After he cooled down, I knew he couldn’t fight anymore,” Zahabi said. “I’ve been around, I’ve seen injuries, and I know that that kind of injury is going to take at least two to five weeks of not standing on it for it to be really good (and) sturdy to fight. That’s just me estimating with what I’ve seen in the past.”
“I don’t know what the medical term is. I don’t know which tendon, or ligament, or whatever is sprained. I’m not a doctor, but I know he’s [had] an MRI, he got tested, and he won’t be able to fight.
“I think we all had mixed feelings. Some guys were pissed off. Some guys were disappointed. But at the end of the day, it’s sparring. There’s nothing you can do to predict those things, and the sparring was not out of control. It was well within control. But when you’re fighting, you push yourself. Georges has been pushing himself a lot and just pushed himself a little too far.
“I don’t want Georges coming back too early and making it worse. I want him to heal 100 percent and have plenty of time for the next training camp.
“I’m disappointed, but I don’t want to discourage Georges. I don’t want him to feel guilty at all. It’s a lot of man hours that he put in, a lot of sacrifice, and I would have liked to see him get (the reward). It’s unfortunate, but it’s going to be delayed.”
Carlos Condit has issued a statement about the fight postponement:
I am greatly disappointed, for both myself and UFC fans, that I will no longer be fighting for the Welterweight title at UFC 137, but I also understand that injuries are a part of this business.
As a professional fighter, it is my job to be prepared for any and all circumstances, positive and negative, that come my way during training and the actual fight. Georges is a great competitor and I know that he will want to return to 100 percent health as soon as possible so that this fight can be rescheduled.
This is the best training camp I have ever had, and I look forward to carrying over the growth that I’ve experienced in this camp to my next one.
I have trained for over a decade in mixed martial arts with the clear goal of becoming the best fighter in the world at my weight class. I have worked this long to become the UFC Welterweight Champion. I will work a little longer.
