Nate Diaz could be facing a lengthy spell away from competition following his bloody war with Mike Perry at Netflix’s first-ever MMA event. Following the wild Rousey vs. Carano card in Inglewood, the California State Athletic Commission issued its official list of medical suspensions, with ‘The Stockton Slugger’ receiving one of the harshest outcomes from the entire event.
The veteran was suspended for 180 days pending medical clearance for a possible fracture in a finger on his left hand. Nate Diaz himself mentioned the injury after the fight, and unless a doctor clears him beforehand, he might be out for six months.
‘The Stockton Slugger’ also received an additional 60-day suspension for the brutal cuts to his scalp and forehead that led his corner to stop the fight after round 2. On top of that, there’s another mandatory 45-day suspension, with 30 days of no contact.
Junior dos Santos received an indefinite suspension following his knockout loss on the #RouseyCarano card and Nate Diaz also issued a 6 month suspension for a possible fracture in his finger. Here's the full medical suspensions: mmafighting.com/mvp-mma/489296…
Given the amount of blood Nate Diaz lost throughout the fight, the lengthy medical precaution is not exactly surprising. ‘The Stockton Slugger,’ however, was not the only fighter that left the Intuit Dome battered. Junior dos Santos arguably suffered the most worrying suspension of the night after his terrifying knockout loss to Robelis Despaigne.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was suspended indefinitely for neurological clearance after being violently stopped by Despaigne’s right hand. Elsewhere on the card, Jefferson Creighton was suspended for up to 180 days due to knee pain, while the majority of the other fighters were handed regular precautionary layoffs ranging from seven to 45 days.
Here’s the full list of suspensions from Netflix’s debut MMA event:
Ronda Rousey: 7-day mandatory suspension
Gina Carano: 7-day mandatory suspension
Nate Diaz: 180-day suspension for a possible fracture to the left hand finger. 60-day suspension for lacerations to scalp and forehead. 45-day suspension with 30 days no contact without exception.
Mike Perry: 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact
Francis Ngannou: 7-day mandatory suspension
Philipe Lins: 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact
Salahdine Parnasse: 7-day mandatory suspension
Kenneth Cross: 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact
Junior dos Santos: Indefinite suspension pending neurological clearance. 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact without exception.
Robelis Despaigne: 7-day mandatory suspension
Namo Fazil: 7-day mandatory suspension
Jake Babian: 60-day suspension for a laceration on the left side of his head. 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact.
Adriano Moraes: 7-day mandatory suspension
Phumi Nkuta: 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact
Jason Jackson: 7-day mandatory suspension
Jefferson Creighton: 180-day suspension for left knee pain. 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact.
David Mgoyan: 7-day mandatory suspension
Albert Morales: 45-day suspension, 30 days no contact
Aline Pereira: 7-day mandatory suspension
Jade Masson-Wong: 7-day mandatory suspension
Brandon Jenkins: 7-day mandatory suspension
Chris Avila: 7-day mandatory suspension
The suspensions accurately reflect how violent MVP and Netflix’s debut MMA event turned out to be. Five fights ended in the first round, several fighters were badly cut or knocked out, and Adriano Moraes and Phumi Nkuta delivered one of the year’s most controversial finishes.
It is worth noting that it is quite a common practice for a list of fighters to receive suspensions after a brutal event, as even Sean Strickland and 10 other UFC fighters got indefinitely suspended after UFC 328.
Sean Strickland, Joshua Van, and other UFC 328 fighters handed indefinite medical suspensions like the Rousey-Carano card
That is why the suspensions resulting from the Netflix card are not as unusual as several fans believe. Just one week ago, UFC 328 produced its own brutal injury list following a wild night in Newark, with newly crowned champion Sean Strickland among 11 fighters who were handed extended medical suspension.
Despite having fewer finishes than the Rousey-Carano card, the UFC event seemed to be even worse on paper from a medical standpoint. Sean Strickland’s lengthy 45 days with a 30-day no-contact suspension followed his violent title-winning fight against Khamzat Chimaev.
In that bloody affair, he broke his nose early on and later admitted that he had also injured his left hand. To make things worse, he walked into the fight with an already injured shoulder.
Meanwhile, the UFC flyweight title bout between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira resulted in both men being suspended indefinitely. Van has been suspended indefinitely and needs orthopedic clearance for his hand, with an additional 30-day suspension with 21 days of no contact.
Meanwhile, Tatsuro Taira needed a CT head scan following a TKO loss. He has been suspended indefinitely due to the possible head injury and also got an additional suspension of 90 days with 60 days of no contact.
With names like Jim Miller, Grant Dawson, and Jeremy Stephens, the list quickly grew loaded with injuries significant enough to force medical review. Even Khamzat Chimaev has been suspended for 45 days with 30 days of no contact.
The full indefinite suspension list also includes Ozzy Diaz, Mateusz Rebecki, Marco Tulio, Baysangur Susurkaev, and Clayton Carpenter. Meanwhile, other fighters like Roman Kopylov, Joaquin Buckley, Djorden Santos, Jared Gordon, and Waldo Cortez-Acosta also received temporary suspensions with mandatory no-contact periods.
Still, these medical suspensions are mostly precautionary measures, and many fighters will likely return much sooner once doctors clear them medically.
Still, seeing both the UFC and Netflix’s MVP MMA card produce this many indefinite suspensions within days of each other says a lot about how physically destructive the sport has become lately. One bad blow, an awkward fall, or a brutal round can dramatically change a fighter’s immediate future.
