It’s good to be back, and it’s good to see MMA hasn’t changed in the couple of weeks I’ve been gone. Injuries and personal drama seem to be the order of the day, just as they always were. The biggest news coming out Monday night is that UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown is out of his Fight Night 78 headliner with Kelvin Gastelum. The fight was set to be Gastelum’s return to the welterweight division, and will mark the first UFC event in Mexico that hasn’t taken place in Mexico City. Brown suffered an ankle injury in training that will leave him unable to make his November 21st date with Gastelum, and leaves the event without a main event. The UFC has begun the hunt for a replacement opponent for Gastelum, but nothing has been announced as of yet. If they are unable to rebook Gastelum, the current co-main event between Ricardo Lamas and Diego Sanchez will be promoted to the main event. In non-fight news, Daniel Cormier announced that he signed a new eight-fight contract with the UFC, but said that doesn’t put him any closer to defending his version of the light heavyweight title against Jon Jones in New York. While he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of fighting in New York, Cormier believes it sends the wrong message to allow Jones to fight in his home state following his hit-and-run accident, suspension, and being stripped by the UFC. What Cormier seems to be forgetting is that now with Jones being back, it’s difficult to take the former Olympian seriously as the UFC champion. Deciding where he wants to defend the title that Jones already defeated him for is even more amusing. A fighter on a very different career arc than Cormier is Miesha Tate. The multiple-time number one contender said in an interview on Monday that she is contemplating retirement if the UFC doesn’t change their current operating procedures. Tate’s frustration stems from her treatment in light of her summer victory over Jessica Eye. After putting on one of the most impressive performances of her career, Tate was awarded a third shot against Ronda Rousey. Weeks later, Rousey announced on Good Morning America that she would be fighting Holly Holm instead. Tate was taken by surprise by the announcement, as she hadn’t heard anything from the UFC. Dana White has since said that Tate is “one more fight away” and then a few fights away, from another title shot. The whole situation has Tate questioning how much she wants to continue in a sport where the goals are ever changing at the whim of promoters. It’s a shame that one of the top fighters in the world has come to this conclusion, especially with Tat being one of the most consistently entertaining fighters on the UFC roster.
