Roger Gracie Out of Sengoku 5

At last week’s press conference, Sengoku announced that Roger Gracie would be competing at World Victory Road: Sengoku 5 Middleweight Grand Prix on September 28th, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The opponent was rugged MMA veteran Travis Wiuff, whose MMA record stands at 53-11 and is coming off a win over Japanese superstar Kazuyuki Fujita at World Victory Road: Sengoku 3, last June. Now it appears that Wiuff is waiting to hear a new opponent’s name, as Gracie has pulled out due to an injury.

Gracie is reported to have suffered a rib injury while involved in stand up boxing/muay thai sparring. “He took a brutal kick to the side from sparring partner Braulio Estima, and he went down. The ribs were examined by a team of specialists in London, and there is no way he can compete. They recommended 8 weeks rest or more” states a member of Roger’s inner circle.

Though plans are up in the air for now, it appears that Gracie will be focusing on making his MMA return at Sengoku’s New Years Eve event. “It is difficult to tell, but the injury is likely severe enough to keep Roger out of the November Sengoku event, and it will likely keep him from fighting again in 2008. Though it is unfortunate, he is obviously getting the best medical advice and attention available, and right now we are focused on his recovery” continues our insider.

World Victory Road: Sengoku 5 Middleweight Grand Prix is scheduled for the Yoyogi National First Gymnasium, and features the start of the Middleweight Grand Prix at 185 lbs, and also features the debut of Jiu Jitsu stud Alexandre Ribeiro. ‘Since the card is two weeks away, an opponent for Wiuff is unlikely to be a top notch name, and the card already has appeal with the tournament kickoff” states one expert on the Japanese scene.

Source: adcombat.com