'TUF: Live' cast member Jeremy Larsen medically suspended, status TBD
by Steven Marrocco on Mar 13, 2012 at 5:45 pm ET
At first glance, Jeremy Larsen appears he might be the first injury dropout from "The Ultimate Fighter: Live."
The Nevada State Athletic Commission medically suspended the fighter after he sustained a laceration to his scalp during a win at Friday's opening round of the reality show's 32-main tournament.
Larsen is now forced to sidelines until April 9 with no contact allowed during training until March 31. Meanwhile, the reality show goes on.
However, Larsen can be cleared by NSAC doctors after March 16, which could allow him to compete in the next round of the lightweights-only season of the show.
Larsen (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was cut during a fight with Jeff Smith (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) during the March 9 live debut on FX. Larsen won his one-round fight via unanimous decision to earn official cast-member status. (The fights are considered exhibition bouts by the NSAC and do not count on a fighter's professional record.)
In the show's previous incarnation, tournaments played out over the show's six-week shoot. Contestants spent between two and three months at home before appearing on the show's finale. Now shot live, the show's filming time has more than doubled, and fighters stay on set. That, of course, allows more time for competitors to heal between fights in the sometimes-grueling tournament.
But even UFC president Dana White has taken note of the mental strain that's expected as contestants are cooped up longer, shuttling between the fighter house and the UFC Training Center. From a health standpoint, however, NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer said that the format allows the commission to do its job better.
"Our doctors are able to have an ongoing examination history or relationship with these fighters," he today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Not only that, we know these fighters aren't going back home and getting in gym wars. So here, it's a lot more controlled, and they're seen a lot more often.
"[Larsen] may not fight again until [April 9], but our doctors will check up on him in the next six Fridays between now and then and see how he's doing. That's the difference."
Several fighters have been forced to withdraw from previous seasons of the reality show as a result of the NSAC-issued medical suspensions.
"The UFC is well-aware that if a guy gets hurt – a guy [advances] but he gets hurt and he can't get cleared within that week – you're going to have to find somebody else," Kizer said. "But that was always the case."
For now, though, it appears Larsen will escape that fate, assuming he can avoid one of the earlier fights in the next round of the tournament.
"He can't fight this week," Kizer said. "We're hoping he won't fight until April, but if they need him before then, our doctor will have to take a look at his scalp and see if it's been healing. It will definitely be OK by the 9th of April. If it heals quickly, we can let him fight earlier. If not, they'll have to have him in the last [fight of the next round]."
Whether the remaining contestants keep their spots is up in the air. White said today via Twitter that "something bad has already happened" on the reality show, though he didn't elaborate.
by Steven Marrocco on Mar 13, 2012 at 5:45 pm ET
At first glance, Jeremy Larsen appears he might be the first injury dropout from "The Ultimate Fighter: Live."
The Nevada State Athletic Commission medically suspended the fighter after he sustained a laceration to his scalp during a win at Friday's opening round of the reality show's 32-main tournament.
Larsen is now forced to sidelines until April 9 with no contact allowed during training until March 31. Meanwhile, the reality show goes on.
However, Larsen can be cleared by NSAC doctors after March 16, which could allow him to compete in the next round of the lightweights-only season of the show.
Larsen (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was cut during a fight with Jeff Smith (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) during the March 9 live debut on FX. Larsen won his one-round fight via unanimous decision to earn official cast-member status. (The fights are considered exhibition bouts by the NSAC and do not count on a fighter's professional record.)
In the show's previous incarnation, tournaments played out over the show's six-week shoot. Contestants spent between two and three months at home before appearing on the show's finale. Now shot live, the show's filming time has more than doubled, and fighters stay on set. That, of course, allows more time for competitors to heal between fights in the sometimes-grueling tournament.
But even UFC president Dana White has taken note of the mental strain that's expected as contestants are cooped up longer, shuttling between the fighter house and the UFC Training Center. From a health standpoint, however, NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer said that the format allows the commission to do its job better.
"Our doctors are able to have an ongoing examination history or relationship with these fighters," he today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Not only that, we know these fighters aren't going back home and getting in gym wars. So here, it's a lot more controlled, and they're seen a lot more often.
"[Larsen] may not fight again until [April 9], but our doctors will check up on him in the next six Fridays between now and then and see how he's doing. That's the difference."
Several fighters have been forced to withdraw from previous seasons of the reality show as a result of the NSAC-issued medical suspensions.
"The UFC is well-aware that if a guy gets hurt – a guy [advances] but he gets hurt and he can't get cleared within that week – you're going to have to find somebody else," Kizer said. "But that was always the case."
For now, though, it appears Larsen will escape that fate, assuming he can avoid one of the earlier fights in the next round of the tournament.
"He can't fight this week," Kizer said. "We're hoping he won't fight until April, but if they need him before then, our doctor will have to take a look at his scalp and see if it's been healing. It will definitely be OK by the 9th of April. If it heals quickly, we can let him fight earlier. If not, they'll have to have him in the last [fight of the next round]."
Whether the remaining contestants keep their spots is up in the air. White said today via Twitter that "something bad has already happened" on the reality show, though he didn't elaborate.