Alexander Shlemenko: UFC fighters are using injuries to avoid bad match-ups
Posted on August 13, 2012, 11:25 AM by Anton Gurevich
“I can tell you for sure, 100%, I know why there are so many injuries. I personally find UFC fights not as exciting because of all those injuries. There are a lot of background tactics around who’s fighting who; fighters are trying really hard to have a good record in the UFC. If you’ve been offered to fight someone who’s considered a bad match-up, then it’s pretty easy to say ‘hey, I’m injured’.
For example, they offered Brian Stann to fight Hector Lombard. He got injured, and then the next thing you know – he’s fighting Michael Bisping. I can see the logic – for Brian Stann it makes more sense to fight Bisping, he’s simply more popular in the UFC than Hector Lombard. That’s why beating Bisping means more than beating Lombard, who's a risky opponent.
You can fake every injury. Just tell [UFC doctors] about the symptoms and that’s it.” - ValeTudo.ru
Two-time Bellator Middleweight tournament winner, Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko, offered his explanation for the ongoing injury crisis in the UFC.
Shlemenko was in action at last weekend's S-70 World MMA Tournament in Sochi, Russia. This was his first fight after suffering from a broken collarbone back in April (car accident). Storm defeated Strikeforce veteran Anthony Ruiz via unanimous decision, going 46-7 in his Mixed Martial Arts career. Fighting out of Omsk, Russia, Shlemenko will square off against Maiquel Falcao for Bellator Middleweight title in the upcoming Season Seven of Bellator Fighting Championship series.
Comments
pssshh idk lol. I mean I do think some fighters try to avoid bad match ups but faking injuries not so sure about. Who knows though? I mean we don't know what goes on behind the scene so i could be possible but unlikely.
It's obvious that a lot of these injuries are legit from the fact that a lot of these injured fighters end up getting surgeries followed by extensive rehab. And the talk of Stann faking injuries to duck people is pretty laughable, Schlemenko's likely just talking shit to make himself look good since he did in fact step up to fight Lombard and took him to a decision.
I did see or hear anything about brain stanns surgery or rehab
And ya I do think brain stann is scared to fight lombard
It is sad to think that this is a possibility... but anything is possible.
*it
That's quite a claim! What do you guys make of this? We know for sure that your record in the UFC means everything, otherwise you get fired...
I think there is some merit to this, Alex is a fighter after all so im sure he knows things we dont and the gossip from fighters in his gym, and the gyms that they visit.
Yea it's a big claim about match making coming from a guy who recently fought in the SFL against Minowa...
Ive been stating this. If you dont take a careful route to declining a fight, you are publicly labelled a pu**y by Dana White on videos and otherwise or threatened to be cut Im sure. Say you're injured are not even court can save them then.
I have a hard to time giving credence to claims like these from fighters not in the UFC.
I understand he's a fighter, and probably has trained with a few UFC competitors but I don't think it's accurate on the level he is implying.
Brian stann is a good example. I thought about it when Lombard accused him of that too. It probably happens but i'm sure its a small percentage of the amount of fights cancelled recently. Let's not get carried away and call every fighter injured a ducker or coward for that.
"I'm sure Rory ask a friend to cut himself to avoid fighting Penn and do the testing blablabla" Seriously ??
The people that think Rory deliberately got himself cut to avoid drug testing also probably believe in Bigfoot, UFO abductions and that Tower 7 was brought down by a rocket fired from Dick Cheney's a$$hole.
You think a man who has went head to head with bullets is scared to fight a guy debuting in the UFC?
People forget Stann was the guy to step up and fight Chael when noone else would
@keith, its not abt being afraid, its a career planning strategy whatever you wanna call it. I can understand some fighters may prefer certain matchups. Stann could have easily avoided the lombard fight for the same reason Shogun avoided Teix.
I believed everything you said. Except that Rory was deliberately cut. That's just stupid....
Building 7 was rigged with explosives wasn't it? Or from Dick's as*hole?
@godsofwararise by those people I guess you mean people who watch the Joe Rogan Experience? You basically summed up the last few months shows haha
There is more proof of each of these things than what Mr. Schelemenko is saying. Except for the rockets, everyone knows they go IN cheney's a55hole, not come out of it.
@ KeithFarrell: Lol, unfortunately you're right. The squatcher episode is the single stupidest thing I have ever heard.
It wouldnt surprise me if they could fake injuries somehow but arent they sent to a ufc doc by dana/lorenzo for proof of the injury?
Yes they are and the UFC foots the medical expenses. Any fighter faking injuries is putting his job on the line because if the claim of injury proves to not be legit he's just wasted a bunch of the UFC's time and money. That's the ideal recipe for getting cut.
Did he just called Brian Stann a coward?
+_+
He implied he tried to get around fighting Hector Lombard. The problem is that thought process doesn't account for Lombard fighting Boestch when he was supposed to take on Stann. Whey would Stann wait for a fighter that not only just lost, but was in one of the worst fights of 2012?
Whatever he implied that doesn't make sense.
Exactly.. coming from the guy who went to India to fight instead of rematching Lombard himself
1st!
And come it's not that easy to fake an injury they always ask for a proof.
Would love to see this guy in the UFC,he's a beast! probably will do better than Hector,Shlemenko is way underrated,he has a pretty good record!
having a good record outside the ufc these days means nothing and its been shown plenty times.
He's right. It's a game and the fighters play it like one.
I bet he wouldn't say that to B. Stann's face. I'm sure a decorated war veteran would not duck someone. He's been in much worse situations then a fight w/ Lombard.
I don't really mind the comment, seeing how if you lose in the UFC, you could lose your job, but to say that about the, "All American?"
Shots fired.
Well Shlemenko clearly has a much better strategy. He just avoids bad matchups in the UFC by avoiding the UFC entirely.
Like Lombard, he's another guy with an impressive record...but no wins that matter. The two toughest guys he ever fought are Lombard and Jacare, and he lost both times.