Let’s be honest. The casual fight fan isn’t familiar with two-time Bellator Middleweight Tournament winner Alexander Shlemenko.
However, that may change very quickly after Shlemenko said UFC fighters, particularly middleweight Brian Stann, fake injuries to get the fights they want. Shlemenko gave his controversial opinion Tuesday in an interview with Low Kick (http://lowkick.blitzcorner.com).
Shlemenko blamed a lack of fighter integrity and backstage politics for the slew of injuries causing various UFC cards to be altered this summer.
“I can tell you for sure, 100%, I know why there are so many injuries. I personally find UFC fights not as exciting because of all those injuries. There are a lot of background tactics around who's fighting who; fighters are trying really hard to have a good record in the UFC. If you've been offered to fight someone who's considered a bad match-up, then it's pretty easy to say ‘hey, I'm injured'.”
“Storm” than went on to call out Stann, a tremendous fan favorite among American fans due to his service in the Marines between 2003 and 2008. Stann received a Silver Star in 2006 and rose to the rank of Captain before pursuing a career in MMA.
“For example, they offered Brian Stann to fight Hector Lombard. He got injured, and then the next thing you know - he's fighting Michael Bisping. I can see the logic - for Brian Stann it makes more sense to fight Bisping, he's simply more popular in the UFC than Hector Lombard. That's why beating Bisping means more than beating Lombard, who's a risky opponent.”
Shlemenko then gave a less than comprehensive analysis of how easy it is to fake an injury in the UFC.
“You can fake every injury. Just tell [UFC doctors] about the symptoms and that's it.”
Stann was scheduled to fight Lombard in the main event of UFC on FOX 4 on Aug. 4, but pulled out of the bout due to a shoulder injury. “The All-American” took to Twitter (http://twitter.com/BrianStann) Tuesday night to respond to the call out.
“Shouldnt even dignify todays comment w/ a response, but I would never fake an injury. I agreed to fight Hector b4 he was even signed…My injury was a 6-8 week recovery & the UFC was not interested in delaying his debut to wait for me. Fighters dont fake injuries, we have to pay the bills guys!”
Dating back to Nov. 2009, Shlemenko has won 15 of his past 16 doubts, with his sole loss being a lop-sided unanimous decision to Lombard back at Bellator 34 in Oct. 2010. Although he boasts an impressive 46-7 professional record, Shlemenko has never competed under a Zuffa-based organization in his career.
Does Shlemenko have a point here or is this just another case of a fighter in a lesser promotion blowing smoke?