The Doggy Bag: The ‘Not This Again!’ Edition

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It seems like dudes are pulling out over the smallest things. Jose Aldo seems like he is made of glass. Quinton Jackson's injury seems dubious to me on a few levels, one being he already doesn't want to fight in the UFC. It seems since the UFC has implemented this roster-wide coverage that fighters are taking advantage of it. These dudes need to man up and do what they're paid to do. -- Mike from East Rutherford

TJ De Santis, Sherdog Radio Network program director: I am as frustrated as you are. As a matter of fact, I was in Los Angeles over the weekend and recorded a fight pick for Aldo-Edgar on video for Sherdog. I was even thinking in my head as I did it, "What are the odds Aldo gets hurt?" Apparently, pretty good.

However, is insurance to blame for the rash of injuries? No, not in the slightest. The highest level of fighters -- Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and Georges St. Pierre -- might be able to get away with not fighting for an extended period of time, but lower-level guys have to fight to pay their bills. I can't tell you how many times I have been with a fighter who starts talking about his or her financial situation out of nowhere. A lot of guys with bigger names than you might think are not that much better off than you or I am when it comes to their pocket books. Most of these guys can’t figure out how to pay their taxes on time. This is not disability insurance; they need to be fighting to earn a living.

When Zuffa announced that its contracted fighters would be given medical insurance, I was very pleased. It’s nice for training injuries, but think of other promising fighters who are stricken by circumstance, like Shane del Rosario, who was involved in a car accident. I am sure it was nice to have coverage in his back pocket courtesy of the Fertittas.

You’re going into your third UFC fight in a year. Maybe you’re looking at $10,000-$10,000 as a potential payday. If you win, you might take home $50,000 this year before taxes. Are you really making out for the better if you pull out of the fight to heal some bumps and bruises and pull down $30,000 for the year? I have a wife and a small child at home. Fighters are often in this same situation and much more intense scenarios, as well, with larger families and more dependents. They need to fight, not get surgeries.

And, if you are hurt, are you really better off just fighting anyway because you “owe it” to fans or the company? You’re more likely to get outclassed, knocked out or submitted. You’ll look foolish disclosing the injury and seem like you’re making excuses. You may even get cut and wind up fighting for smaller purses. That’s doing the “right thing”? What a business.