MMA Odds and Ends for Thursday: Pendred retires, Waterson injured & fight announcements

Cathal Pendred retires from MMA Yesterday UFC welterweight Cathal Pendred made a surprising announcement that he’s retired from MMA at just 28-years of age.

Pendred (17-4-1) mentioned that his lack of passion for the sport was a major factor in his decision. The SBG Ireland product first gained notoriety with the UK based Cage Warriors where he amassed an impressive 5-0-1 record. North American fight fans will remember him as a member of BJ Penn’s team onSeason 19 of The Ultimate Fighter. Pendred made it to the tournament semifinals before losing a split decision to eventual tournament winner Eddie Gordon. He made his official promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 46 in July of 2014 and earned an impressive comeback victory over Mike King.  He followed that up with wins over Gasan Umalatov, Sean Spencer (albeit controversial) and Augusto Montaño. He leaves the UFC with a 4-2 record.   Michelle Waterson injured and out of UFC 194  UFC officials confirmed Wednesday that the “Karate Hottie” has withdrawn from her UFC 194 bout with Tecia Torres. Waterson (13-4) was successful in her UFC debut in July defeating Angela Magana by submission at the TUF 21 Finale. Torres (6-0) is coming off two straight UFC victories – defeating Angela Hill and Angela Magana – and is currently without an opponent. UFC 194 takes place Dec. 12th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.   USADA officially announces two-year suspension for Mirko Cro Cop Wednesday USADA announced the official suspension of former UFC heavyweight fighter Mirko Cro Cop, who recently retired from MMA due to a shoulder injury that forced him off Saturday’s UFC Seoul event. Cro Cop (31-11-2 NC) announced his retirement then admitted a day later to using HGH to fix an injured shoulder. The UFC released their own statement on the suspension UFC recognizes the two-year sanction issued today to Mirko Cro Cop by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for violations of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. UFC secured the services of USADA, a third-party agency, earlier this year to administer its Anti-Doping Policy to ensure that all athletes compete on an even playing field, free of performance enhancing drugs. UFC appreciates Cro Cop’s disclosure and admission of usage of a prohibited substance, and supports the issuance of necessary sanctions to maintain a clean sport. Cro Cop has subsequently announced his retirement from the sport after a storied career. UFC recognizes his accomplishments in the sport of mixed martial arts and wishes him well in future endeavors.”   Russell Doane vs. Michinori Tanaka added to UFC 195 The UFC announced via their website that a bantamweight matchup between Russell Doane and Michinori Tanaka has been scheduled for UFC 195, which takes place Jan. 2nd in Las Vegas). Doane (14-5) is coming off back to back losses including a unanimous defeat Jerrod Sanders at the TUF 21 Finale. Tanaka (10-1 MMA) endured the first blemish on his undefeated record losing via split decision to Kyung Ho Kang at UFC Fight Night 52.   Bellator 149 adds Daniel Pineda vs. Emmanuel Sanchez The Houston Chronicle broke the news (and Bellator later confirmed) that featherweights Daniel Pineda and Emmanuel Sanchez have been added to Belator 149 which already includes the highly anticipated rematch (note the sarcasm) between Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock in the main event.  Bellator 149 takes place Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston. Pineda (21-11) returns to Bellator for the first time since May 2010 and has won three-straight under the Legacy FC banner including a victory over UFC fan favorite Leonard Garcia. Sanchez (12-2) is coming off an impressive victory over UFC veteran Justin Lawrence by split decision.

Written by James Lynch

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