UFC 74 Medical Suspensions Released

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has released the list of medical suspensions after UFC 74: Respect.

Gabriel Gonzaga will be out of action for at least two months after suffering a broken nose in his bout with Couture. This will surprise nobody. During the fight, Gonzaga was bleeding from the nose. Gonzaga must be cleared by a nose specialist before he will be permitted to fight again. Gabriel Gonzaga lost his Heavyweight title fight against Randy Couture by way of referee’s stoppage due to ground and pound in the third round.

Alberto Crane has been medically suspended for two months after suffering a fractured orbital bone during his fight with Roger Huerta. Crane must be cleared by an ophthalmologist before he is allowed to return to active competition. The fight against Roger Huerta was Alberto Crane’s first for over two years. The submission specialist decided to return to the Octagon after seeing the recent success of his friends Matt Serra and Travis Lutter. Roger Huerta stopped Alberto Crane in the third round of their fight.

Former Ultimate Fighter winner Joe Stevenson will be out for at least two months after learning that he suffered a broken nose in his fight with Kurt Pelligrino. Nevada State Athletic Commission doctors originally ruled that Stevenson had a broken jaw but additional examinations found that Stevenson in fact had broken his nose and not his jaw. Joe Stevenson won a unanimous points decision over Kurt Pelligrino. On a four match winning streak, Stevenson will be keen to fight as soon as possible in his quest for the UFC title.

Antoni Hardonk will be required to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder and must be given clearance by a doctor before he will be permitted to begin physical contact once again. Hardonk was forced to submit in the first round of his match with Frank Mir after being caught in Kimura.

Kendall Grove and David Heath were each suspended for one month by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Patrick Cote stopped Grove in one round. David Heath was choked out by Renato Sobral in controversial circumstances. Sobral continued choking David Heath after he had submitted. Renato Sobral has already been penalised financially by the UFC and could face further sanctions.

Randy Couture's broken arm is not listed. The injury was found a day after the post-fight examination. Couture told Nevada State Athletic Commission doctors that his arm was only bruised but found out through x-rays on Sunday that he had suffered a broken arm. It is thought that he broke his arm blocking a high kick from Gabriel Gonzaga. “It’s not displaced, so the doctors think it will reattach in about a week and a half,” said Couture, whose arm, although not in a cast, will be in a splint for six weeks. In theory, Randy would be able to resume full training when the splint is removed. In reality, the 44 year old champion is unlikely to fight again in 2007. Rumours persist that he may fight the winner of the UFC 75: Champion vs Champion clash between Cheick Kongo and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.