Fighters Should Be On Standby In Case of Emergency
Last night UFC 213 took place from Las Vegas. Fans were in for what should have been a highly energetic and exciting fight between champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Valentina Shevchenko. Instead just hours before the main event, the fight was pulled after it was revealed Nunes was in the hospital battling at that time an unknown illness.
UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk was ready and willing to step in and take Nunes spot, but the NSAC did not have enough time to process a prefight pregnancy test which would clear her to fight.
This isn't the first time a big fight has been cancelled last minute, and due to the nature of MMA it certainly won't be the last. However, something must be done in order to ensure fans get as much of what they paid for as possible. If one competitor has to pull out of a fight, no matter what the timeframe, there should always be a fighter ready to jump in.
This would ensure that fighters keep in shape and close to their fighting weight and cut down on the problem of fighters missing weight all together. The fans would get to see at least one-half of the scheduled fight and most importantly, the fighter that was still ready to compete would get to perform AND get paid. Although Shevchenko was paid for her efforts, this isn't always the case.
As far as who would be avialble for fill in roles would have to be worked out. One suggestion is that the healthiest contender realtive to the compeitors should and would be made avilable. These names would be worked out ahead of time and be cleared to fight beforehand. Also, in all fairness they would be compensated as well. Again this is a win win as it keeps the fighters in shape and serves as an insurance policy for the UFC.
Too many fights have been cancelled last minute, leaving fans and fighters alike disappointed. It's time for the UFC (and MMA in general) to be proactive and look for a solution for everyone.