New Jersey Board Suspends 11 UFC 328 Fighters, Including Strickland and Van
Updated
Updated · MMA Fighting · May 13
New Jersey Board Suspends 11 UFC 328 Fighters, Including Strickland and Van
5 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · May 13
Eleven UFC 328 fighters received indefinite medical suspensions after Saturday’s card in Newark, with the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board naming champions Sean Strickland and Joshua Van among those requiring further clearance.
Strickland must be cleared by an orthopedist for a possible left-hand injury after his split-decision win over Khamzat Chimaev, while Van needs left-hand clearance and Tatsuro Taira awaits a CT head scan after their title fight.
The board also imposed fixed layoff periods: Strickland and Chimaev got 45 days with 30 days no contact, Van 30 days with 21 no contact, and Taira 90 days with 60 no contact after the knockout loss.
Other fighters facing indefinite suspensions include Jeremy Stephens, Ozzy Diaz, Grant Dawson, Jim Miller, Marco Tulio, Baysangur Susurkaev and Clayton Carpenter, reflecting the injury toll from a card headlined by Strickland reclaiming the middleweight title.
New science links fighting to brain damage. Are current medical suspensions enough to protect athletes from long-term harm?
As safety rules become more expensive, can smaller independent combat sports promotions survive in the future?
Will a new boxing reform act truly protect fighters, or just give large promoters more control over their careers?