A&K Fight Night:Reyes v Weidman preview, 7 fighters face long suspensions, GSP return and more
- Christian Parry
- Oct 16, 2019
- 5 min read
This week’s A&K Fight Night will feature: a preview on the upcoming Reyes v Weidman fight, 7 fighters facing lengthy medical suspensions following UFC Fight Night 161, George St-Pierre on a possible return to the UFC and lot’s more!
Reyes v Weidman Preview
In the light heavyweight division, Dominick Reyes will take on Chris Weidman in the TD Garden on Saturday the 19th of October.
American mixed martial artist Reyes is currently the 4th ranked light heavyweight on the UFC roster and has a flawless record of 11 wins and 0 losses, deservingly giving himself the nickname “The Devastator”.
Reyes currently works as an IT technical assistance for Hesperia Unified School District whilst fighting within the UFC, however he shouldn’t be underestimated for this with all of his 8 finishes coming within the first round.
As of late “The Devastator” defeated Volkan Oezdemir, on the UFC Fight Night: Till v Masvidal main card, via split decision which is arguably his toughest opponent he’s faced so far in his career, but on Saturday he’ll be facing “The All-American” who’ll be making his first appearance in the light heavyweight division.
Chris Weidman, 35, hasn’t fought since the 3rd of November 2018 where he was defeated by Ronaldo Souza in a bout that won the “Fight of the Night” award on the UFC 230 card.
Before his last fight, Weidman had lost 4 fights from 5 which tarnished his then perfect record of 13-0 and struggled to retain the middleweight championship belt after losing to Luke Rockhold in 2015 (his first loss of his career).
Although, despite Weidman being unable to move up the ranks and fight for the belt he defended 3 times in a row, “The All-American” believes moving up to light heavyweight will be the best move going forward.
In an interview with ESPN Weidman said, “the weight cuts are tough, and I want to see what my body is like without depleting itself.”
“I think I bring a lot of things to the table that can be an issue for a lot of those guys (light heavyweight division).”
Reyes however is not fazed by the UFC veteran and tweeted out, “I want Jones, but if they want me to take Weidmans head to prove I am the one, I’d be more than happy too!”
Reyes is 2 inches taller and 6 years younger than Weidman, but Weidman has fought fighters bigger than him before-either way be prepared for fireworks in the TD Garden as both fighters’ will be looking to come off unscathed with the possibility of the winner challenging title holder Jon Jones after.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk and 6 others facing lengthy medical suspensions
Following UFC Fight Night 161, many of the fighters performing on the card have been given long suspensions from fighting.
The biggest name on the list and the fight card, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, won the main event after beating Michelle Waterson, but consequentially will be looking at a minimum of 6 months.
She currently has at least 45 days of suspension, but she believes her injuries aren’t as severe as they appear to be and will be fighting sooner than 6 months.
Jedrzejczyk told MMA Fighting that according to a doctor, her feet are not broken, and she does not expect to miss much time.
Among those facing indefinite medical suspensions are co-headliner Cub Swanson and James Vick.
Swanson is listed as needing X-ray clearance with no mention of a specific injury in the official report, while Vick requires neurological clearance after losing by first-round knockout to Niko Price.
Both Swanson and Vick released statements on social media earlier this week addressing their conditions, with Swanson announcing he has a “broken left hand and minor scratches in both eyes-I’m probably not fighting again until next year”, and Vick stating that his post-fight CT scan came in negative.
Also listed as having injuries that will require them to miss an indefinite period of time are Andrew Sanchez (right leg), Hector Aldana (left leg), Miguel Baeza (wrist), and Eryk Anders (requires CT scan).
Furthermore, that list could be extended as there are pending medical clearances for winners Marvin Vettori, Ryan Spann, and Matt Frevola, who could be out for up to six months as well.
GSP return on the cards if “everything is aligned”
In a recent interview with ESPN, St-Pierre hinted that he would be open to making a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship under the right circumstances.
Canadian mixed martial artist announced his retirement earlier this year while admitting that he and the promotion were unable to come to terms for a fight with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
We tried to organize the fight with Khabib,” St-Pierre said in February.
“I know Khabib want it and I want it, but the UFC had other plan(s).”
“To the point where I am in my career, for me it’s more taking one fight at a time instead of being there for several fights, and the way the business works … if they promote someone, they want to keep him somewhere … it’s like an investment.”
The 38-year-old St-Pierre returned from a four-year break to defeat Bisping at UFC 217 for his 13th consecutive victory within the UFC.
“Rush” remains one of the biggest stars in MMA, and it is common knowledge that he maintains a training regimen even when he is not actively competing-however for now, St-Pierre would still be willing to listen if the UFC were to make an offer, whether he would choose to accept it is another matter entirely.
“If everything is aligned contractually, everything is good, as we speak now, yes I would,” said St-Pierre.
Is George St-Pierre the man to defeat bear wrestling welterweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov or will the Russian maul another opponent inside the octagon?
Rumble Johnson vs Jon Jones keen bout for both fighters
When talking to former MMA fighter Brendan Schaub, Anthony Rumble Johnson has expressed his desire to fight light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“We’ll make it happen,” said Johnson to Schaub.
“We’ll fight at 205, that’s a fight I wanted, and I think Jon wanted that fight too,” exclaimed Johnson who showed he his extremely keen to fight who he thinks is the best in the world.
Days later, Jones took to twitter and responded to the once retired MMA fighter.
It is true that Jones and Johnson have been cool, even as they fought for the same glory in the UFC light heavyweight division while Johnson was still an active fighter.
Prior to a scheduled fight at UFC 187, they faked a brawl that nearly gave UFC President Dana White a heart attack, but the fight between the two never occurred because Jones was charged with a hit and run after crashing into a pregnant women’s car and fleeing the scene.
The matchup is a sure thing for fans who’ve followed the ups and downs of both men’s careers-only the UFC can stand in the way of making it happen four years after its original booking.
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