The UFC today scratched Sarah Kaufman from next week’s UFC Fight Night 27 card after an injury replacement for original opponent Sara McMann could not be found. The news, which is sure to disappoint all of Kaufman’s fans, was reported by MMAjunkie.com, and it means Kaufman — one of the top-ranked female bantamweights in the world — will have to wait a bit longer to make her UFC debut. For me the most disappointing aspect of this though is the fact the UFC wasn’t able to secure a replacement for McMann considering they’ve had a few weeks to do so. Either Sean Shelby was asleep at the wheel (unlikely), no female fighter wanted to step up on short notice to fight McMann (less likely), or the lack of depth in the women’s bantamweight division meant there was no one around to call on (most likely). Because there’s only 15 or so women signed to the UFC, any time there’s an injury to one of the top females there will always be the possibility of a fight being scratched, especially if it’s to one of the elite fighters like Kaufman. Matyushenko/Alexander Set As Bellator 99 Co-Main Event Bellator announced that Christian M’Pumbu has suffered a hand injury and has been forced out of his Bellator 99 fight with Vladimir Matyushenko and his replacement opponent will be none other than Houston Alexander. I wish I was joking. This is an absolutely dreadful fight in 2013 and it’s embarrassing this fight between two former UFC fighters has been scheduled as the co-main event of the evening. Wait, I thought Bellator didn’t sign ex-UFCers? The fight between Alexander and Matyushenko should be a dreadful affair. I would never consider actually betting my hard-earned money on this fight but, gun to head, I’ll go with Alexander to win by KO. I expect the line to be close to even, but I still don’t see value betting either guy. Bellator Signs Grove And one last Bellator note as the promotion has signed former UFC middleweight Kendall Grove to a multi-fight contract, a signing that was reported by Grove himself on Twitter. The only thing I can say about this signing is this: So much for Bellator not signing UFC washouts. Wait, I just said that in the last paragraph. You get the point.
