UFC Fight Night 261 brought the violence, and with it, potential injuries.
The event took place Saturday at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Monday, the Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA) released a full list of athlete medical suspensions to MMA Junkie.
Five fighters were suspended 180 days by the CABMMA, pending further medical examinations.
Among them was Lucas Almeida, who appeared to enter the fight with a swollen right hand – and was diagnosed with an injury, according to CABMMA suspensions. Almeida was finished by opponent Michael Aswell with strikes in Round 1.
When asked for clarification on how Almeida was allowed to compete, CABMMA executive director Luis Felipe Siqueira gave the following written statement to MMA Junkie. Siqueira did not address Almeida specifically, citing medical confidentiality, but indicated the fighter was evaluated pre-fight.
“I would like to emphasize that all athletes are evaluated before and after fights, strictly following a health and safety protocols established by international sports regulatory standards.
“CABMMA reaffirms its commitment to the physical integrity of athletes and the confidentiality of medical data, in accordance with applicable ethical and legal standards.”
Almeida joins Vicente Luque, Jhonata Diniz, Clayton Carpenter, and Saimon Oliveira on the list of fighters who received the lengthiest suspensions.
- Charles Oliveira: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Mateusz Gamrot: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Deiveson Figueiredo: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Montel Jackson: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Joel Alvarez: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Vicente Luque: Suspended 180 days with 45 days mandatory rest for right orbital fracture.
- Mario Pinto: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Jhonata Diniz: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by an oral/maxillofacial physician with 45 days mandatory rest.
- Kaan Ofli: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Ricardo Ramos: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Michael Aswell: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Lucas Almeida: Suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days or until right hand X-ray cleared by physician with mandatory rest for 30 days.
- Jafel Filho: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Clayton Carpenter: Suspended 180 days with no contact for 30 days, or until right shoulder MRI cleared by a physician.
- Vitor Petrino: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Thomas Petersen: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
- Bia Mesquita: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Irina Alekseeva: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
- Lucas Rocha: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Stewart Nicoll: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
- Julia Polastri: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
- Luan Lacerda: Suspended 14 days with no contact for seven days.
- Saimon Oliveira: Suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days or until anterior band of MCL complex is cleared by orthopedist.
