Tarec Saffiedine hasn’t fought since defeating Nate Marquardt on Jan. 12 (Getty Pictures)
Tarec Saffiedine had built lots of momentum following his dominant victory over Nate Marquardt on Jan. 12, when he used a
sequence of brutal leg kicks to defeat Marquardt and win the Strikeforce welterweight title
.
It was the final bout in Strikeforce history and Saffiedine was heading into the UFC in an excellent position.
But nearly eight months since that win, Saffiedine hasn’t fought once more and has no concept when he will. Saffiedine had to pull out of a planned July 27 bout with Robbie Lawler with an damage. Last month, UFC president Dana White informed Fox Sports he was planning to pit Saffiedine with Matt Brown, who had received impressively over Mike Pyle at Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 17 in Boston, in a match in December.
That combat, though, has primarily passed by the wayside as a result of nobody knows when Saffiedine goes to have the ability to train again. His efficiency in opposition to Marquardt proved he deserves a high opponent, but all the high UFC welterweights who aren’t injured are going to be booked earlier than for much longer for fights before the end of the year. Saffiedine has an uncertain return date, and that can depart him in a difficult spot.
Matt Brown celebrates a formidable win over Mike Pyle on Aug. 17 (Getty)
Saffiedine stated he had hoped to fulfill both Brown or ex-interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, or any prime 10 welterweight. However now could be when the UFC goes to start booking the top-of-the-yr matches and which will depart Saffiedine on the surface trying in.
“I’m shooting to come again end of this year, beginning of subsequent yr,” Saffiedine advised Cagewriter. “The thing is, I will not know for a few weeks from my physician when I’ll have the inexperienced light to come again and prepare. I am unable to prepare right now because of the injuries.”
Saffiedine said he has two injuries, which he declined to divulge. One, he mentioned he had when he fought Marquardt, and another he received while coaching for Lawler.
The uncertainty has put him in a very unhealthy place. The welterweight title will be decided on Nov. sixteen, when Georges St-Pierre defends in opposition to No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in Las Vegas. The UFC want to have a prime contender’s combat sometime this 12 months so that there’s an obvious title challenger ready to meet the St-Pierre-Hendricks winner someday subsequent year.
If that happens, although, it seems to be prefer it won’t be Saffiedine.
“Clearly, not being able to practice and to fight is, for me as a fighter and an athlete, definitely frustrating,” Saffiedine said. “Especially for me, I’m someone who really, actually enjoys coaching. Even when I don’t have a fight, I’m all the time at the fitness center trying to get higher and study new abilities.
“It is fairly irritating for me, however I am not sitting on the couch all day eating pizza. I can not try this. I’m trying to stay in shape and live a wholesome lifestyle as best as I can.”
He can solely sit and wait and hope to be cleared bodily soon and that when he is, it’s not too late.
Otherwise, regardless of the spectacular way he opened 2013, it could wind up being a misplaced 12 months for him.
Series of injuries costing ex-Strikeforce champ Tarec Saffiedine momentum and potential big fights
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