Injuries to Mir, Jackson shake up UFC schedule
Two injuries to high-profile fighters have forced the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship schedule to be reshuffled.
Las Vegan Frank Mir, the interim heavyweight champion, recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, scuttling his May 23 unification bout against champion Brock Lesnar at the MGM Grand.
Mir-Lesnar now will headline a July 11 card. That event, scheduled for Mandalay Bay, is expected to include several big-name fighters as the organization celebrates a milestone: UFC 100.
Rashad Evans then was tabbed to defend his light heavyweight belt in a replacement main event on the May 23 card. Quinton Jackson earned the chance to challenge Evans with a win over Keith Jardine on March 7.
But Jackson had to turn down the bout because a postfight examination found torn ligaments in his jaw.
Evans instead will defend his title against unbeaten contender Lyoto Machida. Jackson will fight the winner of that bout later this year.
The UFC 100 card is likely to feature Georges St. Pierre defending his welterweight belt against Thiago Alves.
• SHAMROCK TESTS POSITIVE — Former UFC champion Ken Shamrock tested positive for three anabolic steroids, and the California State Athletic Commission has suspended him from competition for a year.
The 45-year-old Shamrock defeated Ross Clifton on Feb. 13 in Fresno in the first round but failed the postfight screening.
Shamrock, who parlayed his early mixed martial arts success into a career in professional wrestling, was to fight rising star Bobby Lashley in Pensacola, Fla., on Saturday.
Lashley now will fight Jason Guida on the card, a combination MMA-boxing promotion headlined by boxer Roy Jones Jr.’s fight with Omar Sheika. The event will air on pay per view.
• ‘MASK’ KILLED — One of the founders of the MMA-themed clothing company TapouT died early Wednesday in a car crash.
Charles Lewis, better known as “Mask,” was driving his Ferrari in Newport Beach, Calif., when his car allegedly was struck by a Porsche, smashed into a light post and sliced in half.
The Porsche driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence causing bodily injury.
Lewis, 45, started selling T-shirts out of his trunk with his friends in Southern California more than 10 years ago. Last year, TapouT reported more than $50 million in revenue.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@ reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.