The Weekly Wrap: Nov. 20 - Nov. 26

Aldo, Walker Exit Upcoming Fights

Less than a week after he was formally presented with the new UFC featherweight championship and promoted on the UFC 123 pay-per-view broadcast, Jose Aldo was forced to pull out of his inaugural title defense in January due to a spinal injury.

Aldo, set to defend against Josh Grispi in the co-main event at UFC 125 on Jan. 1, was compelled by his trainers to undergo a month of physiotherapy to allay concerns about worsening pain in his arm during recent camps. Trainer Andre Pederneiras told Sherdog.com that Aldo’s pain is caused by a reduction of the space between his vertebrae, including space between his C5 and C6 vertebrae that was touching the medulla. Without the halt in activity, Aldo may have had to undergo surgery and likely would have been shelved for up to a year. Pederneiras said Aldo could make his return in three months with the physiotherapy. Grispi will fight fellow WEC veteran Dustin Poirier at UFC 125.

Strikeforce was also bitten by the injury bug, as football great Herschel Walker pulled out of his Dec. 4 fight after suffering a deep cut in training on Nov. 22. The cut was under the left eye and required multiple stitches. Walker was likely to bring a heightened level of attention to the Showtime-televised event, as he did for his MMA debut in January. Walker was set to face Scott Carson in St. Louis.

The Strikeforce bill also took a hit when popular St. Louis kickboxer Jesse Finney, a fixture on Strikeforce shows in the city due to his ability to draw a crowd, pulled out after suffering an eye injury. Finney was originally slated to fight Scott Smith in a featured bout on the card. However, Smith was booked against Paul Daley after the fellow UFC veteran was signed by Strikeforce. Finney’s replacement opponent had not been confirmed.

There were reports Strikeforce was working to tap its top welterweight prospect, Tyron Woodley, to fight on the card. Woodley, a former University of Missouri wrestler, defeated Andre Galvao in a quick TKO at Strikeforce’s Oct. 9 event.