UFC 281 proved to be a brutal event, and the medical suspensions handed out by the New York State Athletic Commission speak to that.
On Monday, MMA Junkie received the full list from the NYSAC, which oversaw UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It showed 19 fighters suspended indefinitely on a card that featured 11 finishes, which means those fighters will need doctor’s clearance before returning to the cage.
Among the 19 indefinite suspensions, five fighters – Frankie Edgar, Dominick Reyes, Nicolae Negumereanu, Seung Woo Choi, and Ottman Azaitar – received the longest mandatory minimum of 90 days.
Former lightweight champion Edgar was knocked out by Chris Gutierrez in his retirement fight; Reyes was knocked out by Ryan Spann; Azaitar lost by knockout to Matt Frevola; Choi lost by TKO to Michael Trizano; and Negumereanu was knocked out by Carlos Ulberg.
Both fighters in the main event, Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, received indefinite suspensions as a result of Pereira’s fifth-round TKO win to claim the middleweight title. Pereira was suspended 30 days and Adesanya 60 days.
Scroll below to see the medical suspensions handed out to each fighter. It’s important to note that fighters can return to competition sooner than the allotted suspension if they are cleared by a doctor.
Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu
Carlos Ulberg: Suspended seven days.
Nicolae Negumereanu: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 90 days
Montel Jackson def. Julio Arce
Montel Jackson: Suspended seven days.
Julio Arce: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Michael Trizano def. Seungwoo Choi
Michael Trizano: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Seung Woo Choi: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 90 days
Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Silvana Gomez Juarez
Karolina Kowalkiewicz: Suspended seven days.
Silvana Gomez Juarez: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Matt Frevola def. Ottman Azaitar
Matt Frevola: Suspended seven days
Ottman Azaitar: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 90 days
Andre Petroski vs. Wellington Turman
Andre Petroski: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Wellington Turman: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Erin Blanchfield def. Molly McCann
Erin Blanchfield: Suspended seven days
Molly McCann: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Ryan Spann def. Dominick Reyes
Ryan Spann: Suspended seven days
Dominick Reyes: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 90 days
Renato Moicano def. Brad Riddell
Renato Moicano: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Brad Riddell: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 45 days
Dan Hooker def. Claudio Puelles
Dan Hooker: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Claudio Puelles: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Chris Gutierrez def. Frankie Edgar
Chris Gutierrez: Suspended seven days
Frankie Edgar: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 90 days
Dustin Poirier def. Michael Chandler
Dustin Poirier: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Michael Chandler: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 60 days
Zhang Weili def. Carla Esparza
Zhang Weili: Suspended seven days
Carla Esparza: Suspended seven days
Alex Pereira def. Israel Adesanya
Alex Pereira: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 30 days
Israel Adesanya: Suspended indefinitely; minimum 60 days