New Jersey issues 17 UFC medical suspensions

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board issued 17 medical suspensions after UFC 328, according to reports published May 13 that cited the board’s post-event list. Eleven of those were indefinite suspensions, a designation that keeps a fighter out until the required medical clearance is provided. (mmafighting.com) UFC 328 took place on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and featured 13 bouts. The most prominent names on the suspension list were newly crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland and flyweight title-fight participants Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. (mmafighting.com) Medical suspensions are routine after mixed martial arts events, but the New Jersey list drew attention because both title fights produced fighters who left with further testing or specialist sign-offs still required. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) Reports from MMA Fighting, Yahoo Sports and MMA Junkie said the board’s list spelled out the injuries or exams tied to each indefinite term. ### Why did Sean Strickland land on the list after winning the main event? Sean Strickland was suspended indefinitely pending orthopedist clearance of his left hand, MMA Fighting reported from the New Jersey board’s list. (mmafighting.com) The report also said he received a 45-day suspension with 30 days of no contact at minimum. (sports.yahoo.com) Khamzat Chimaev, whom Strickland beat by split decision to reclaim the middleweight title, was also listed among the suspended fighters in multiple reports. That reflected the damage from a five-round championship fight rather than the result alone. MMA UK separately reported that Strickland’s indefinite term was tied to that left-hand issue. On May 13, MMA Junkie also reported Strickland disclosed additional shoulder-related injuries after the fight, though those self-reported injuries were separate from the left-hand clearance cited in the board’s suspension entry. (mmafighting.com) ### What happened to Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event? Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight championship with a late fifth-round knockout of Tatsuro Taira, according to Yahoo Sports and MMA Fighting. (mmafighting.com) Both fighters still received indefinite suspensions from New Jersey after the bout. Joshua Van’s indefinite suspension was tied to orthopedist clearance of his left hand, according to reports citing the board’s list. (sports.yahoo.com) Tatsuro Taira’s indefinite term required a CT scan, and he also drew a 90-day suspension with 60 days of no contact because of the knockout loss, Sherdog and MMA Fighting reported. ### What does “indefinite suspension” mean in this case? The New Jersey board’s “indefinite” designation does not necessarily mean a fixed long-term ban. (mmauk.net) MMA Junkie reported fighters can return before the listed end of a suspension if a medical professional clears them and the commission accepts that clearance. The board’s public suspensions page shows New Jersey tracks fight-related suspensions and medical restrictions as part of its regulatory process. (sports.yahoo.com) In practice, the listed specialist reviews — such as orthopedist clearance or imaging results — are the next step for fighters who drew indefinite terms after UFC 328. ### How broad was the damage across the card? Eleven fighters received indefinite suspensions out of the 17 total medical suspensions issued after the event, according to reports citing the board’s post-event release. (sherdog.com) That meant most of the suspended fighters were awaiting some form of additional medical sign-off rather than serving only a short automatic rest period. Prudential Center hosted 13 fights on the May 9 card, and the suspension list covered competitors from the main event down through the undercard. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) The New Jersey board released the list on May 13, four days after the event. ### What happens next for the fighters on the list? Sean Strickland, Joshua Van and the other indefinitely suspended fighters now need to complete the specific medical steps listed by New Jersey before they can be cleared to compete again. (njoag.gov) For Strickland and Van, published reports said that means orthopedist clearance on left-hand injuries; for Taira, it means a CT scan and the expiration or lifting of his no-contact period. The next public update is likely to come through a commission clearance, a new bout booking, or a fighter disclosure. (sports.yahoo.com) As of May 14, the New Jersey board’s suspension records page remained the official place where the commission publishes suspension information. (njoag.gov) (mmafighting.com)