Very disapointed, I think this takes alot of lust off of 82 unless they can find a suitable replacement. Gono is no sloutch, and he would've been a helluva matchup for Fitch. Fitch deserves a title shot soon IMO.
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Akihiro Gono (28-12-7 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a Japanese fighter who was slated to face Jon Fitch (15-2 MMA, 7-0) at UFC 82 on March 1, announced that a injury with his right hand has forced him off the fight card.
Gono posted the news on his official website (which is written in Japanese). However, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) couldn?t reach Gono?s camp for confirmation, and messages left with Fitch?s camp weren?t immediately returned.
Currently, it?s not known if Fitch ? who grew up near Ohio in the neighboring Indiana ? will remain on the card, and if so, whom he may fight in Gono?s place. The welterweight battle was set to appear on the televised main card of UFC 82, which takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
According to Gono?s posting, the injury first developed during his UFC 78 fight with Tamdan McCrory. In his UFC debut, Gono scored a second-round submission victory via arm bar over his 21-year-old opponent, but the 33-year-old Pancrase and PRIDE vet sustained a lot of damage early in the fight.
According to Gono, doctors recommended that he quit training and pull out of the UFC 82 fight. He issued an apology to fans, the UFC and Fitch.
The UFC does have time to find a replacement for Fitch, who?s considered one of the UFC?s top ? if not, the top ? welterweight contenders. However, many of the division?s top fighters have already been booked for upcoming bouts.
Fitch, an American Kickboxing Academy fighter and former captain of the Purdue University wrestling team, is 7-0 in the UFC. He’s currently riding a 14-fight win streak and most recently defeated Diego Sanchez at UFC 76 in September.
For the latest UFC 82 fight card, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
(MMAjunkie.com?s ?PhyteGuru? contributed to this report)
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Akihiro Gono (28-12-7 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a Japanese fighter who was slated to face Jon Fitch (15-2 MMA, 7-0) at UFC 82 on March 1, announced that a injury with his right hand has forced him off the fight card.
Gono posted the news on his official website (which is written in Japanese). However, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) couldn?t reach Gono?s camp for confirmation, and messages left with Fitch?s camp weren?t immediately returned.
Currently, it?s not known if Fitch ? who grew up near Ohio in the neighboring Indiana ? will remain on the card, and if so, whom he may fight in Gono?s place. The welterweight battle was set to appear on the televised main card of UFC 82, which takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
According to Gono?s posting, the injury first developed during his UFC 78 fight with Tamdan McCrory. In his UFC debut, Gono scored a second-round submission victory via arm bar over his 21-year-old opponent, but the 33-year-old Pancrase and PRIDE vet sustained a lot of damage early in the fight.
According to Gono, doctors recommended that he quit training and pull out of the UFC 82 fight. He issued an apology to fans, the UFC and Fitch.
The UFC does have time to find a replacement for Fitch, who?s considered one of the UFC?s top ? if not, the top ? welterweight contenders. However, many of the division?s top fighters have already been booked for upcoming bouts.
Fitch, an American Kickboxing Academy fighter and former captain of the Purdue University wrestling team, is 7-0 in the UFC. He’s currently riding a 14-fight win streak and most recently defeated Diego Sanchez at UFC 76 in September.
For the latest UFC 82 fight card, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
(MMAjunkie.com?s ?PhyteGuru? contributed to this report)
